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SELECT 


STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN: 

DESIGNED  FOR  THEIR 

MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS 
IMPROVEMENT. 


ALBANY: 

PUBLISHED  BY  E.  H.  PEASE  &  CO. 

At  the  Sabbath  School  Depository, 
No.  82  State  Street. 
1S48. 


JOEL  MUNSELL,  PRINTER, 
ALBANY. 


PREFACE. 


"  Give  me  the  making  of  a  country's  ballads/' 
said  a  Scottish  sage  and  patriot,  "  and  I  care 
not  who  may  make  its  laws."  He  believed 
that  popular  songs  have  more  influence  than 
legislation  in  moulding  national  character. 
There  is,  perhaps,  a  little  exaggeration  in  this 
opinion;  but  what  he  said  of  ballads,  may  be 
most  justly  said  of  books  for  children.  If  by 
works  at  once  attractive,  instructive  and  scru- 
pulously pure,  we  can  engage  the  attention  and 
form  the  principles  of  boys  and  girls,  we  lay 
the  only  sure  foundation  for  good  government, 
both  in  the  family  and  the  state.  For  law,  apart 
from  a  love  of  order,  rectitude  and  kindness,  is 


VI.  PREFACE. 

a  feeble  thing,  and  easily  evaded;  but  with 
these  preparatory  dispositions  it  is  efficient  and 
harmonious  in  its  operation.  Our  country's 
stability  and  prosperity  depend  on  the  right 
education  of  our  children  —  an  education  of 
right  principle,  and  not  of  mere  knowledge 
which,  without  such  principle,  is  powerful  ge- 
nerally for  evil  and  not  for  good. 

The  following  compilation  has  been  carefully 
made.  From  it  every  thing  objectionable  in 
thought  and  expression  has  been  sedulously 
excluded.  The  prose  stories  it  contains  are 
amusing,  well  told,  and  of  most  salutary  ten- 
dency; the  pieces  in  verse,  are  of  a  similar 
kind.  It  will  be  found  of  such  a  character  as 
to  interest  young  people,  while  it  inculcates 
lessons  of  piety,  benevolence  and  justice.  It 
will  conduce  to  the  bringing  of  them  up  in  such 
a  way  as  to  render  them  worthy  members  of 
the  household  and  the  community;  and  as  it 
appeals  in  all  things  to  God's  law  and  testimo- 


PREFACE.  Vll. 

ny,  there  is  no  clanger  of  its  substituting  the 
maxims  of  more  human  wisdom,  for  the  higher 
and  better  maxims  of  divine  revelation.  It  is 
respectfully  commended  to  the  attention  of 
parents,  sabbath  school  teachers,  and  all  who 
are  concerned  in  the  training  of  the  rising 
generation. 

For  a  considerable  number  of  the  articles 
here  presented,  the  compiler  is  indebted  to  the 
Youth's  Companion,  a  Boston  weekly  paper 
distinguished  both  for  the  excellence  and  the 
arrangement  of  its  matter. 


COxNTENTS. 


Affectionate  Children, 33 

Anecdote  with  a  Moral, 36 

Be  Active, 32 

Benevolence, 51 

Blacksmith's  Boy, 62 

Boyhood's  Days, 87 

Best  Boy  in  School, 93 

Be  kind  to  each  other, 96 

Beautiful  Swiss  Custom, 126 

Careless  Girl, 62 

Destroyer, 84. 

Disappointment, 8-5 

Dignity  of  Labor, 115 

Earth  and  Heaven, » . . .  39 

Example  for  Youth, 52 

Eyes  of  Insects, 60 

Experiment, 99 

Early  Rising 127 

Early  Morning  Ramble, 151 

Flowers, <  41 


X.  CONTENTS. 

Faint-Hearted  Youth, 66 

Forest  Funeral, 76 

Fisherman, 82 

Fly, 92 

First  Theft, 133 

Fun, 144 

Freely  Give, 167 

Garden,  The 152 

Girl,  Careless 61 

Honesty,  . . . . 35 

Honest  Boy, 43 

Hindoo  Superstition, 59 

How  a  Rogue  feels  when  caught,.  .......  90 

Incident,  Pleasant 97 

Incident,  Thrilling 132 

I  Have  Lost  It, 162 

Jordan  River,  Visit  to 49 

Kindness,,  . . ., 23 

Looking  for  a  Place, 19 

Life, 55 

Lesson, . . .  > 76 

Little  Ann, 100 

Little  Match  Girl, 136 

Lesson  at  Hop-Skotch, 175 

Magnetic    Telegraph,     Something    More 

Wonderful  than  the 13 


CONTENTS.  XI. 

Mischevious  Boy, 112 

My  Brother  on  the  Sea, 121 

Never  Associate  with  Bad  Children, 165 

Orphan  Boy, 24 

Old  Man's  Reminiscence, 29 

Old  Jack  the  Favorite  Horse, 46 

Oriental  Water  Carrier, 107 

Poor  Shepherd  Boy, 45 

Party,  The 72 

Pleasant  Incident, 97 

Promise,  The 161 

Robin's  Nest, 18 

River  Jordan,  Visit  to. . 49 

Reward  of  Disobedience, 63 

Sabbath  Class 5Q 

Story  with  a  Moral, 83 

Samuel  and  Robert, 108 

Samuel  and  Ely,  or  the  First  Blush, 118 

Stones, 123 

Singing  of  Spring  Birds, 140 

Sacrifices, 141 

Tie  your  Shoe  Strings, 54 

Tardiness, 88 

Two  Clouds, 106 

Thrilling  Incident, 332 

To  a  Little  Girl  Gathering  Flowers, 360 


Xll.  CONTENTS. 

The  Promise, 161 

The  Little  Busy  Bees, 166 

Visit  to  the  River  Jordan, 49 

Vegetable  Compass, 105 

Value  of  Labor  in  a  Watch, 120 

Wanton  Cruelty, 37 

Wrinkles, 53 

Wasps,  Paper  Makers, 98 

Washington's  Remarkable  Deliverance,  . .  116 

Wish, 131 

Willy  Graham, 154 

Youthful  Example, 38 


SELECT 
STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


SOMETHING  MORE  WONDERFUL  THAN 
THE  MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH. 

George  and  Thomas  Bates  had  often  expressed 
a  desire  to  visit  the  telegraph  office.  They  had 
heard  of  the  strange  doings  of  this  wonderful 
machine,  and  had  often  stood  and  looked  at  the 
wires  stretched  along  from  one  high  post  to 
another,  something  like  cobwebs  in  the  air. 

One  day  as  they  were  thus  occupied,  George 
asked  Thomas  how  it  could  be  that  on  those 
wires  unseen  messages  were  passing  to  and  fro. 

"  I  don't  know  how  it  is,"  replied  Thomas, 
"  father  says  it  is  by  means  of  electricity,  and 
lightning  is  electricity,  and  that  is  the  reason 
news  travels  so  quickly  by  the  magnetic  tele- 
graph." 

One  day  after  school,  these  boys  went  into 
their  father's  store,  which  was  just  opposite  the 
telegraph  office,  and  asked  him  if  he  would  be 
2 


14       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

so  kind  as  to  take  them  to  see  this  wonderful 
invention. 

Their  father  assented,  always  glad  to  gratify 
his  children,  and  to  add  to  their  stock  of  useful 
information,  and  at  once  they  were  by  the  side 
of  the  agent,  looking  at  the  performance  of  the 
little  instrument  that  noted  down  intelligence 
like  a  living  thing. 

The  boys  asked  their  father  to  send  a  mes- 
sage to  their  uncle  in  Washington,  but  the  lit- 
tle machine  was  so  busy,  that  the  agent  could 
not  gratify  them  for  some  time. 

Tic,  tic,  tic,  dot,  dot,  click,  click,  click,  went 
the  little  pointer.  By  and  by  it  ceased  for  an 
instant,  but  just  as  the  agent  was  going  to  put 
in  his  claim,  it  began  again. 

"  That  is  B  for  Buffalo,"  said  the  agent;  "  we 
must  wait  till  the  message  is  finished." 

As  soon  as  that  sentence  was  written,  there 
was  an  A  U  for  Auburn,  and  then  a  U  for  Uti- 
ca ;  and  the  boys  were  almost  out  of  patience, 
as  little  boys  are  apt  to  be,  when  their  wishes 
are  not  immediately  gratified.  After  a  while 
their  turn  came.  The  agent  hurried  to  put  in 
a  W  for  Washington,  and  "  aye,  aye,"  was  the 
reply,  to  let  him  know  that  his  wish  was  at- 
tended to,  and  the  message  was  sent. 

Eeturning  home  the  boys  could  talk  of  no- 
thing but  the  wonders  of  the  telegraph. 

"  Is  it  not  the  most  wonderful  thing  you  ever 
heard  of,  father?"  said  Thomas. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        15 

"  No,"  replied  his  father,  "  I  have  heard  of 
things  more  wonderful." 

"But,  father,"  said  George,  "you  never 
heard  of  any  message  being  sent  so  quickly  as 
by  this  means,  have  you?" 

"  Yes,  I  have  my  son." 

"And  receiving  an  answer  as  quickly]"  add- 
ed George. 

"Yes,  much  sooner,"  replied  his  father. 

"Are  you  in  earnest,  father?"  said  Thomas, 
looking  eagerly  in  his  face.  "Is  it  possible 
you  know  of  a  more  wonderful  way  of  commu- 
nication than  by  telegraph?" 

"  I  never  was  more  in  earnest,  my  son,  than 
I  am  when  I  say  yes  to  your  question." 

"  Well,  father,"  said  George,  "  do  tell  me 
what  it  is,  and  in  what  respect  it  is  better  than 
the  telegraph." 

"In  the  first  place,"  said  his  father,  "you  do 
not  wait  to  have  to  send  your  message  while 
others  are  attended  to ;  for  your  message  can 
go  with  others,  without  any  interruption  or  hin- 
drance." 

"  So  that  is  an  improvement,"  said  George, 
"  for  we  had  to  wait  a  long  time  you  know." 

"And  in  the  next  place,"  continued  his  father, 
"there  is  no  need  of  wires,  or  electricity,  or  ma- 
chinery, to  aid  the  mode  of  communication  of 
which  I  speak;  and  what  is  more  wonderful 
than  all  is  the  fact  that  you  need  not  even  ex- 
press the  nature  of  your  communication,  as,  be- 


26       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

fore  you  do  so,  your  answer  may  be  returned, 
though  it  is  quite  necessary  that  you  truly  and 
sincerely  desire  a  favorable  reception  for  your 
request. 

"  Besides  all  this,  the  plan  of  communica- 
tion of  which  I  speak  is  superior  to  all  others, 
from  the  fact  that  you  need  no  resort  to  any 
particular  place  to  send  your  request.  In  the 
lonely  desert — in  the  crowded  city — on  the 
mountain  top — by  night  or  by  day — in  sickness 
and  health,  and  especially  in  trouble  and  afflic- 
tion, the  way  of  communication  is  open  to  all. 
And  the  applicants  can  never  be  so  numerous 
that  the  simplest  desire  of  the  feeblest  child, 
properly  presented,  shall  not  meet  with  imme- 
diate attention." 

"Is  there  any  account  published  of  this 
wonderful  manner  of  communicating  your  wish- 
es ?"  inquired  Thomas. 

a  Yes,  there  is,  my  son ;  it  is  to  be  found  in 
the  Bible." 

"  In  the  Bible,  father  !"    exclaimed  the  boys. 

"  Certainly,  my  sons ;  and  if  you  will  both 
of  you  get  your  Bibles,  I  will  tell  you  where 
to  find  the  passages." 

The  children  opened  their  Bibles,  and  found 
as  their  father  directed  them,  the  24th  verse  of 
the  Ixv.  chapter  of  Isaiah,  which  Thomas  read 
as  follows :  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that 
before  they  call,  I  will  answer  ;  and  while  they 
are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        17 

Next  George  found  and  read  the  9th  verse  of 
the  lviii.  chapter  of  Isaiah  :  "  Then  shalt  thou 
call,  and  the  Lord  shall  answer ;  thou  shalt 
cry,  and  he  shall  say,  Here  I  am." 

"  Now  turn,"  said  their  father,  "  to  Daniel 
ix.  chapter,  20,  21,  22,  23  verses." 

"  And  while  I  was  speaking,  and  praying, 
and  confessing  my  sin,  and  the  sin  of  my  peo- 
ple Israel,  and  presenting  my  supplication  be- 
fore the  Lord  my  God ;  .  .  .  yea,  while  T  was 
speaking  in  prayer,  even  the  man  Gabriel,  .  . 
being  caused  to  fly  swiftly,  touched  me  about 
the  time  of  the  evening  oblation.  And  he  in- 
formed me,  and  talked  with  me  and  said,  0 
Daniel,  I  am  now  come  forth  to  give  thee  skill 
and  understanding.  At  the  beginning  of  thy 
supplication  the  commandment  came  forth,  and 
I  am  come  to  show  thee,"  &c. 

"  I  see,  father,  from  these  passages,"  says 
Thomas,  "  that  you  refer  to  prayer." 

"  And  I  am  sure  you  will  both  agree  with 
me,  that  this  mode  of  communication  with  hea- 
ven is  more  wonderful  than  any  other,  for  by 
this  means  our  desire  can  be  immediately  known 
to  our  heavenly  Father,  and  we  receive  an 


1&       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


THE  ROBIN'S  NEST. 
Beside  a  stream,  whose  limpid  breast 

Revealed  the  shining  sand  below, 
A  simple  robin  built  her  nest, 

And  waited  for  her  young  to  grow. 
Her  artless  song  was  often  heard 

As  homeward  to  her  brood  she  flew, 
And  when  the  rosy  daylight  stirred 

Her  music  filled  the  welkin  blue. 

A  reckless  boy  at  last  espied 

The  nest,  and  made  the  prize  his  own; 
And  when  the  mother  homeward  hied, 

'Twas  but  to  find  herself  alone. 
'Twas  pitiful  to  see  her  grief, 

And  listen  to  her  mournful  cry; 
She  sought  in  vain  to  find  relief, 

And  folded  up  her  wings  to  die. 

I  marked  the  boy.     He  grew  apace, 

And  was  at  last  in  years  a  man, 
Yet  ever  covered  with  disgrace, 

That  followed  some  discovered  plan. 
I  watched  him  with  a  curious  eye, 

Expecting  some  sad  fate  to  see; 
He  was  at  last  condemned  to  die, 

A  wretch,  upon  the  gallows  tree. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        19 


LOOKING  FOR  A  PLACE. 

"  Well,  Johnny,  how  have  you  succeeded  to- 
day, my  son?" 

u  Nothing  good  to-day,  mother;  I  have  been 
all  over  almost,  and  no  one  would  take  me. 
The  book  stores,  and  dry  goods  stores  and  gro- 
ceries, have  plenty  of  boys  already  —  but  I 
think  if  you  had  been  with  me,  I  should  have 
stood  a  better  chance." 

"  Why  so,  my  son?" 

"Oh,  you  look  so  thin  and  pale,  mother, 
somebody  would  have  felt  sorry,  and  so  taken 
me :  but  nobody  knew  me,  and  nobody  saw 
you." 

A  tear  stole  down  the  cheek  of  the  little  boy 
as  he  spoke,  for  he  was  almost  discouraged; 
and  when  his  mother  saw  the  tear,  not  a  few 
ran  down  her's  also. 

It  was  a  cold,  bleak  night,  and  Johnny  had 
been  out  all  day  looking  for  "  a  place"  He 
had  persevered,  although  constantly  refused,  until 
it  was  quite  dark,  and  then  gave  up,  thinking 
his  mother  must  be  tired  waiting  for  him. 

His  mother  was  a  widow,  and  a  very  poor 
one.  She  had  maintained  herself  by  needle- 
work till  a  severe  spell  of  sickness  had  confined 
her  to  the  bed,  and  she  was  unable  to  do  more. 
She  told  her  little  son  to  sit  down  by  the 
fire  while  she  prepared  his  supper.  The  fire 
and  the  supper  were  very  scanty,  but  Johnny 


20       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

knew  they  were  the  best  she  could  provide, 
and  he  felt  that  he  would  rather  share  such  a 
fire  and  such  a  supper,  with  such  a  mother, 
than  sit  at  the  best  filled  table  with  any  body 
else,  who  did  not  love  him  as  she  did,  and 
whom  he  did  not  love  as  he  did  her. 

After  a  few  moments  of  silence,  the  boy 
looked  up  into  his  mother's  face  with  more 
than  usual  seriousness. 

"  Mother,"  said  he,  "  do  you  think  it  would 
be  wrong  to  ask  my  new  Sunday  school  teacher 
about  it  on  a  sabbath?" 

"  No,  my  son,  not  if  you  have  no  other  op- 
portunity; and  I  think  he  would  be  a  very 
suitable  person,  too;  at  least  I  should  think 
that  he  would  be  interested  in  getting  you  a 
good  place." 

"  Well,  to-morrow  is  Sunday,  and  when  the 
class  breaks  up,  I  believe  I  will  ask  him." 

After  reading  a  portion  of  God's  holy  word, 
the  mother  and  her  little  boy  kneeled  down  to- 
gether in  their  loneliness,  and  prayed  the  Lord 
most  earnestly  to  take  care  of  them  and  pro- 
vide for  them.  They  were  very  poor,  but  they 
knew  that  God  cared  for  the  poor.  They  knew 
also  that  God  would  do  what  was  best  for  them. 
Oh,  it's  a  sweet  thing  to  the  soul,  to  be  able  to 
say  sincerely,  "  Thy  will  be  done." 

"  I  feel  happier  now,"  said  John,  "  I  was  so 
tired  when  I  came  in,  that  I  felt  quite  cross,  I 
know  I  did — did  I  not  look  so,  mother?" 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       21 


The  mother's  heart  was  full,  and  she,  gave 
her  boy  one  long,  affectionate  kiss,  which  was 
sweeter  to  him  than  many  words. 

Next  morning  was  the  sabbath.  Johnny's 
breakfast  was  more  scanty  than  ever,  but  he 
said  not  a  word  about  that,  for  he  saw  that  his 
mother  ate  very  little  of  it.  But  one  or  two 
sticks  of  wood  were  left  outside  the  door  where 
it  was  kept ;  and  he  knew  that  both  food  and 
fire  might  all  be  gone  before  night.  They  had 
had  no  money  to  buy  any  with  for  several  days. 

The  sabbath  school  bell  rang.  The  sun  was 
shining  bright  and  clear,  but  the  air  was  ex- 
ceedingly cold.  The  child  had  no  overcoat, 
and  was  still  wearing  a  part  of  his  summer 
clothing.  He  was  in  his  seat  just  as  his  super- 
intendent and  teacher  entered. 

"  Who  is  that  little  pale-faced  boy  in  your 
class  r'  asked  the  superintendent  of  the  teacher. 

"  His  name  is  Jones,  he  lives  on  Stone  street, 
and  I  must  visit  him  this  very  week.  He  is 
very  regular,  and  a  well-behaved  boy." 

"  I  should  like  to  know  more  about  him,  and 
I  will  see  him  after  school." 

The  superintendent  did  not  forget  him,  and 
when  the  classes  broke  up,  seeing  him  linger 
behind  the -other  scholars,  went  up  and  took 
him  by  the  hand  kindly. 

"  You  have  been  here  to  school  several  sab- 
baths, have  you  not,  my  boy?"  said  he. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  came  just  a  month  ago  to-day." 


22       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  Had  you  ever  been  to  school  before?" 

"Yes,  sir,  before  mother  was  taken  sick  I 
used  to  go  to  a  school,  which  was  a  great  way 
off,  and  when  mother  got  better,  and  you  opened 
this  new  school,  she  advised  me  to  come  here, 
as  it  is  so  much  nearer." 

"  Well,  did  I  not  see  you  yesterday,  looking 
for  a  place  on  Water  street?" 

"  I  was  down  there,  sir,  looking  for  a  place." 

"  Why  did  you  not  take  that  place  which 
the  gentleman  had  for  you,  in  the  large  grocery 
store?" 

"  Do  you  mean  the  store  where  the  great 
copper  worm  stood  on  the  sidewalk?" 

"  Yes." 

"Ah,  sir,  I  didn't  know  they  sold  rum  there 
when  I  first  went  in,  and  when  I  saw  what 
kind  of  a  store  it  was,  I  was  afraid." 

"  Have  you  a  father?" 

"  No,  sir,  father  is  dead ; "  and  the  little  boy 
hung  down  his  head. 

"  What  did  your  father  do,  my  son — what 
business  was  he  in?" 

"  Sir,  he  once  kept  a  large  store  like  that" 
and  the  child  shuddered  when  he  answered. 

"  Why  did  you  not  keep  the  piece  of  gold 
money  that  you  found  on  the  floor,  as  you  were 
coming  into  the  store?" 

"  Because  it  was  not  mine,  and  I  thought 
that  the  gentleman  would  find  the  owner  sooner 
than  I  should." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       23 

"  He  did,  my  boy,  it  was  my  money.  Did 
you  get  a  place  yesterday?" 

"No,  sir,  all  the  places  were  full,  and  no- 
body knew  me." 

"  Well,  my  boy,  you  may  go  now  and  tell 
your  mother  that  "you  have  a  place.  Come  to 
see  me  early  in  the  morning — your  teacher  will 
tell  you  where  I  live." 

«J°nnny  went  home  with  his  heart  and  his 
eJes  so  full,  that  he  could  hardly  see  the  street 
or  any  thing  else,  as  he  went  along.  He  knew 
that  it  would  cheer  his  dear  mother  very  much, 
a°d  so  it  did.  His  superintendent  procured  a 
g°°d  place  for  him,  and  they  were  made  com- 
fortable and  happy. 


KINDNESS. 

A  little  word  in  kindness  spoken, 

A  motion  or  a  tear, 
Has  often  healed  the  heart  that's  broken, 

And  made  a  friend  sincere. 

A  word,  a  look,  has  crushed  to  earth, 

Full  many  a  budding  flower, 
Which,  had  a  smile  but  owned  its  birth, 

Would  bless  life's  darkest  hour. 

Then  deem  it  not  an  idle  thing, 

A  pleasant  word  to  speak; 
The  face  you  wear,  the  thoughts  you  bring-, 

A  heart  may  heal  or  break. 


24       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


THE  ORPHAN  BOY. 

The  bustle  of  the  fight  was  over ;  the  prison- 
ers had  been  secured,  and  the  decks  washed 
down,  the  watch  piped,  and  the  schooner  had 
once  more  relapsed  into  midnight  quiet  and  re- 
pose. I  sought  my  hammock,  and  soon  fell 
asleep.  But  my  slumbers  were  disturbed  by 
wild  dreams,  which,  like  the  visions  of  a  fever, 
agitated  and  unnerved  me ;  the  late  strife,  the 
hardships  of  my  early  life,  and  a  thousand  other 
things  mingled  together  as  figures  in  a  phan- 
tasmagoria. Suddenly  a  hand  was  laid  on  my 
shoulder,  and  starting  up  I  beheld  the  surgeon's 
mate. 

"  Little  Dick,  sir,  is  dying,"  he  said. 

At  once  1  sprang  from  my  hammock.  Little 
Dick  was  a  sort  of  protege  of  mine.  He  was 
a  pale,  delicate  child,  said  to  be  an  orphan,  and 
used  to  gentle  nature ;  and  from  the  first  hour 
I  joined  the  schooner,  my  heart  yearned  to- 
wards him,  for  I  too  had  once  been  friendless 
and  alone  in  the  world.  He  had  often  talked 
to  me  in  confidence,  of  his  mother,  wThose  me- 
mory he  regarded  with  holy  reverence,  while 
to  the  other  boys  of  the  ship  he  had  little  to 
say,  for  they  were  rude  and  coarse — he  was 
delicate  and  sensitive.  Often  when  they  jeered 
him  for  his  melancholy,  he  would  go  apart  by 
himself  and  weep.     He  never  complained  of 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       25 

liis  lot,  though  his  companions  imposed  on  him 
continually. 

I  took  a  strange  interest  in  him,  and  had 
lightened  his  task  as  much  as  possible.  During 
the  late  fight  I  had  owed  my  life  to  him,  for  he 
rushed  in  just  as  a  sabre  stroke  was  levelled  at 
me,  and  by  interposing  his  feeble  cutlass  had 
averted  the  deadly  blow.  In  the  hurry  and 
confusion  since  I  had  quite  forgotten  to  inquire 
if  he  was  hurt,  though  at  the  time  I  inwardly 
resolved  to  exert  all  my  little  influence  to  pro- 
-cure  him  a  midshipman's  warrant  in  requital 
for  his  service.  It  was  with  a  pang  of  re- 
proachful agony,  therefore,  that  I  leaped  to  my 
feet. 

"My  God!"  I  exclaimed,  "you  don't  mean 
it  ?     He  is  not  dying  ?" 

"  I  fear  sir, "  said  the  messenger,  shaking 
Ills  head  sadly,  "  that  he  cannot  live  till  morn- 

™g- "  .    . 

"  And  I  have  been  lying  idle  here !"  I  ex- 
claimed with  remorse.     "  Lead  me  to  him  !" 

"He  is  delirious,  but  in  the  intervals  of  lu- 
nacy he  asks  for  you,  sir,"  and  as  the  man 
spoke  we  stood  beside  the  bed  of  the  dying 

The  sufferer  did  not  lie  in  his  usual  hammock, 
for  it  was  hung  in  the  very  midst  of  the  crew, 
and  the  close  air  around  it  was  too  stifling; 
but  he  had  been  carried  under  the  open  hatch- 
way, and  laid  there  in  a  little  open  space  of 
3 


26       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

about  four  feet  square.  From  the  sound  of  the 
ripples  I  judged  the  schooner  was  in  motion, 
while  the  clear,  calm  blue  sky,  seen  through 
the  opening  overhead,  and  dotted  with  myriads 
of  stars,  betokened  that  the  fog  had  broken 
away.  How  calm  it  smiled  down  on  the  wan 
face  of  the  dying  boy.  Occasionally  a  light 
current  of  wind — oh,  how  deliciously  cool  in 
that  pent  up  hold — eddied  down  the  hatchway, 
and  lifted  the  dark  chestnut  locks  of  the  suffer- 
er, as  with  his  head  reposing  in  the  lap  of  an  old 
veteran,  he  lay  in  an  unquiet  slumber.  His  shirt 
collar  was  unbuttoned,  and  his  childish  bosom, 
white  as  that  of  girl,  was  open  and  exposed, 
he  breathed  quick  and  heavily.  The  wound  of 
which  he  was  dying  had  been  intensely  painful, 
but  within  the  last  half  hour  had  somewhat 
lulled,  though  even  now  his  thin  fingers  grasp- 
ed the  bed  clothes,  as  if  he  suffered  the  greatest 
agony. 

A  battle-stained  and  gray-haired  seaman 
stood  beside  him,  holding  a  dull  lantern,  in"  his 
hand,  and  gazing  sorrowfully  down  upon  the 
sufferer.  The  surgeon  knelt  with  his  fino-er 
on  the  boy's  pulse.  As  I  approached,  they  all 
looked  up.  The  veteran  who  held  him  shook 
his  head  and  would  have  spoken,  but  the  tears 
gathered  too  chokingly  in  his  eyes.  The  sur- 
geon said : 

"He  is  going  fast,  poor  little  fellow  —  do 
you  see  this?"     As  he  spoke,  he  lifted  up  a 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        27 

rich  gold  locket,  which  had  lain  upon  the  boy's 
breast.     "  He  has  seen  better  days." 

I  could  not  answer,  for  ray  heart  was  full. 
Here  was  the  being  to  whom,  but  a  few  hours 
before,  I  had  owed  ray  life  —  a  poor,  slight,  un- 
protected child  —  lying  before  me,  with  death 
already  written  on  his  brow  —  and  yet  I  had 
never  known  his  danger,  and  never  sought  him 
out  after  the  conflict.  How  bitterly  my  heart 
reproached  me  in  that  hour.  They  noticed  my 
agitation,  and  his  old  friend  —  the  seaman  that 
held  his  head  —  said  sadly, 

"Poor  little  Dick,  you'll  never  see  the  shore 
you  have  wished  for  so  long.  But  there'll  be 
more  than  one  when  log's  out,"  he  spoke  with 
emotion,  "  to  mourn  over  you." 

Suddenly  the  little  fellow  opened  his  eyes, 
and  looked  vacantly  around.  "  Has  he  come 
yet  ?"  he  asked  in  a  low  voice.  "  Why  won't 
he  come?" 

"  I  am  here,"  said  I,  taking  the  little  fellow's 
hand  ;  "  don't  you  know  me,  Dick  ?" 

He  smiled  faintly  in  my  face.     He  then  said, 

"You  have  been  kind  to  me,  sir  —  kinder 
than  most  people  are  to  a  poor  orphan  boy.  I 
have  no  way  to  show  my  gratitude,  unless  you 
will  take  the  Bible  you  will  find  in  my  trunk. 
It's  a  small  offering,  I  know,  but  it's  all  I  have." 

I  burst  into  tears :  he  resumed, 

"Doctor,  I  am  dying,  ain't  I?"  said  the  little 
fellow,  "  for  my  sight  grows  dim.  God  bless 
you,  Mr.  Danforth." 


28       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  Can  I  do  nothing  for  you,  Dick  ?"  said  I; 
"you  saved  my  life  —  I  would  coin  my  blood  to 
buy  yours." 

"I  have  nothing  to  ask — I  don't  want  to 
live  —  only,  if  it's  possible,  let  me  be  buried  by 
mother  —  you  will  find  the  name  of  the  place, 
and  all  about  it,  in  my  trunk." 

"Anything — everything,  my  poor  lad,"  I 
answered  chokingly. 

The  little  fellow  smiled  faintly — it  was  like 
an  angel's  smile — but  he  did  not  answer. 
His  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  stars  flickering  in 
that  patch  of  the  blue  sky  overhead.  His 
mind  wandered. 

"  It's  a  long,  long  ways  up  there,  but  there 
are  bright  angels  among  them.  Mother  used 
to  say  that  I  would  meet  her  there.  How  near 
they  come,  and  I  see  sweet  faces  smiling  on 
me  from  among  them.  Hark!  is  that  music?" 
and  lifting  his  finger,  he  seemed  listening  for  a 
moment.  He  fell  back,  and  the  old  veteran 
burst  into  tears.     The  child  was  dead. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        29 


AN  OLD  MAN'S  REMINISCENCE. 

I  had  quarrelled  with  my  little  brother  Willy, 
who  had  not  passed  his  sixth  year.  I  was  two 
years  his  senior,  and  he  was  the  only  being  I 
ever  loved.  Willy  was  a  frail  and  affectionate 
little  fellow,  not  meant  to  struggle  long  through 
this  dark  and  weary  existence.  The  little 
golden  locks  fell  upon  his  slender  and  beautiful 
neck,  and  his  large  blue  eyes  wore  a  soft  and 
confiding  expression  which  called  forth  irre- 
sistibly your  love  and  protection.  I  went  to 
the  corner  of  the  garden,  and  continued  build- 
ing a  house  we  had  begun  together.  The 
evening  was  fast  coming  on,  and  I  still  required 
about  a  dozen  bricks  to  finish  it;  I  therefore 
stalked  up  to  one  which,  after  great  trouble,  he 
had  just  completed,  and  pulled  down  part  of 
the  walls  for  that  purpose.  The  little  fellow 
could  not  bear  it,  and  he  snatched  them  back 
from  me ;  I  in  a  rage  struck  him  violently  on 
the  breast,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground. 

In  a  short  time  he  recovered  his  breath,  and 
said: 

"Jamie,  tell  Annie  to  come  and  carry  me 
in.  I  cannot  walk ;  my  breast  is  very,  very 
sore." 

I  slunk  quietly  in  at  the  back  of  the  house. 
In  a  few  moments,  I  heard  a  low  and  mournful 
whisper  go  through  the  dwelling ;  my  little 
3* 


30       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

Willy  had  broken  a  blood  vessel.  The  next 
evening  about  sun-set  I  went  to  the  door  of  the 
room  where  he  lay,  and  as  I  looked  in  he  beck- 
oned me  to  him.  The  setting  sun  fell  full  upon 
his  golden  hair,  and  as  he  reclined  upon  his 
snowy  pillow  methought  he  seemed  like  a  little 
angel  floating  on  a  fleecy  cloud  ! 

I  crept  up  slowly  to  the  side  of  his  bed,  and 
held  the  little  hand  which  lay  upon  the  coverlet 
within  my  own. 

"  Jamie,"  said  he,  "  Jamie,  I  am  going  to 
die." 

I  hid  my  face  among  the  bed  clothes  and 
sobbed  aloud. 

"  Don't  cry,"  said  the  little  fellow  ;  "  you? 
know  I  love  you  dearly.  Come,  Jamie,  let  me 
play  with  your  hand  again,  as  I  used  to  when 
we  sat  together  on  the  little  grass  plat  in  the 
warm  sunshine,  and  don't  cry  my  dear  little 
brother  Jamie.  You  will  be  kind  to  my  little 
pussy  when  I  am  gone,  and  fill  her  saucer  with 
new  milk,  won't  you  brother  V 

Pussy  lifted  up  her  head,  as  she  heard  her 
name,  and  purring,  smoothed  her  sleek  and 
glossy  coat  against  the  pallid  face  of  the  young 
sufferer,  as  though  to  thank  him  for  his  kind- 
remembrance. 

"  I  am  going  to  heaven,"  he  continued,. 
"  and  that  is  a  happy  place,  you  know,  for 
God,  our  Father,  whom  we  say  our  prayers  to- 
every  night  lives  there,  and  you  know  how 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       31 

often  we  have  wanted  to  see  him,  Jamie  ;  and 
there  is  Jesus,  whom  we  love  so  much,  and 
who  loves  little  children,  too,  so  dearly ;  he 
will  be  there,  and  he  will  carry  me  to  his  Fa- 
ther, for  he  will  be  like  a  big  brother,  and  take 
care  of  me,  you  know,  Jamie !  And  then  there 
is  little  Harry  Bently,  he  is  gone  to  heaven  too, 
and  I  shall  see  him  there,  and  we  will  have  two 
little  wings,  and  a  little  golden  music  book,  be- 
tween us  ;  but  we  will  leave  a  corner  for  you, 
Jamie,  so  that  when  you  come,  we  will  all  bow 
down  together  before  the  throne  of  God  our 
Father,  and  sing  his  glory  for  ever  and  ever." 

The  little  fellow  lifted  up  his  bright  blue  eyes 
to  heaven,  and  his  countenance  seemed  to  grow 
brighter  and  brighter.  I  gazed  upon  his  face 
for  some  minutes  in  silent  anguish ;  but  as  1 
gazed,  his  face  appeared  to  wax  brighter  and 
yet  more  bright ;  a  smile  still  lingered  upon  his 
parted  lips  and  his  little  soul  winged  its  flight 
to  a  sure  and  glorious  eternity. 

And  now  when  the  hurricane  of  riotous  and 
irresistible  passion  sweeps  over  my  soul,  tearing 
down  all  distinctions  of  right  and  wrong  and 
dethroning  reason,  their  cherub  voices  seem  to 
come  wafted  on  the  gale;  and  as  these  two 
little  angel  forms,  with  their  little  golden  music 
book  and  my  empty  and  unmerited  corner,  rise 
up,  as  it  were,  in  a  vision  before  me,  my  pas- 
sion vanishes,  my  frame  shudders,  and  I  burst 
into  tears." 


32       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


BE  ACTIVE. 

Be  active  —  be  active  — 

Find  something  to  do, 
In  digging  a  clam-bank, 

Or  tapping  a  shoe. 
Don't  stop  at  the  corners, 

To  drag  out  the  day  — 
Be  active  —  be  active  — 

And  work  while  you  may. 

'Tis  foolish  to  falter, 

Or  lag  in  the  street  — 
Or  walk  as  if  chain-shot 

Were  bound  to  your  feet. 
Be  active  —  be  active  — 

And  do  what  you  can; 
'Tis  industry  only 

That  maketh  the  man. 

'Tis  industry  makes  you  — 

Remember  —  be  wise  — 
From  sloth  and  from  stupor 

Awake  and  arise. 
You'll  live  and  be  happy, 

And  never  complain 
Of  the  blues  or  the  dumps, 

Or  a  dull  heavy  brain. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        33 


THE  AFFECTIONATE  CHILDREN. 

It  is  a  beautiful  sight  when  children  treat 
each  other  with  kindness  and  love,  as  is  related 
in  the  following  little  narrative. 

I  once  had  occasion  to  take  supper  with 
Lydia  s  father   and    mother.      Before  supper, 
Lydia,  her  parents  and  myself  were  sitting  in 
the  room  together,  and  her  little  brother  Oliver 
was  out  in  the  yard  drawing  his  cart  about. 
1  he  mother  went  out  and  brought  in  some 
peaches,   a   few  of  which    were   We    red- 
cheeked  rare-ripes  — the  rest  small,  ordinary 
peaches.     The  father  handed  me  one  of  the 
rare-ripes,  gave  one  to  the  mother,   and  then 
one  of  the  best  to  his  little  daughter,  who  was 
eight  years  old.      He  then  took  one  of  the 
smaller  ones,  and  gave  it  to  her  brother.     He 
was  four  years  old.     Lydia  went  out  and  was 
gone  about  ten  minutes,  and  then  came  in. 

"Did  you  give  your  brother  the  peach  I  sent 
him?"  asked  her  father. 

Lydia  blushed,  turned  away,  and  did  not 
answer. 

"Did  you  give  your  brother  the  peach  I  sent 
him?  asked  her  father  again,  a  little  more 
sharply. 

"  No,  father,"  said  she,  "  I  did  not  give  him 
that.  ° 

"  What  did  you  do  with  it,"  he  asked. 


34       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  I  ate  it,"  said  Lydia. 

"  What !  Did  you  not  give  your  brother 
any?" 

"  Yes,  I  did,  father,"  said  she,  "  I  gave  him 
mine." 

"  Why  did  you  not  give  him  the  one  I  told 
you  to  give?"   asked  the  father,  rather  sternly. 

"  Because,  father,"  said  Lydia,  "  1  thought 
he  would  like  mine  better.  I  did  not  mean  to 
be  disobedient,"  said  she,  and  her  bosom  began 
to  heave  and  her  chin  to  quiver. 

"  But  you  were,  my  daughter,"  said  he. 

"  I  thought  you  would  not  be  displeased  with 
me,  father,"  said  Lydia,  "  if  I  did  give  my 
brother  the  biggest  peach,"  and  the  tears  be- 
gan to  appear  in  her  eyes. 

"  But  I  want  you  to  have  the  biggest,"  said 
the  father;  "  you  are  older  and  larger  than  he 
is." 

"  I  want  you  to  give  the  best  things  to  bro- 
ther," said  the  noble-hearted  girl. 

"  Why  V9  asked  the  father,  scarcely  able  to 
contain  himself. 

"  Because,"  answered  the  generous  sister, 
"I  love  him  so  —  I  always  feel  best  when  he 
gets  the  best  things." 

"  You  are  right,  my  precious  daughter,"  said 
the  father,  as  he  fondly  and  proudly  folded  her 
in  his  arms.  "  You  are  right,  and  you  may  be 
certain  your  happy  father  can  never  be  dis- 
pleased with  you  for  wishing  to  give  up  the 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       35 

best  of  every  thing  to  your  affectionate  little 
brother.  He  is  a  dear  and  noble  little  boy, 
and  I  am  glad  you  love  him  so.  Do  you  think 
he  loves  you  as  well  as  you  do  him  V9 

"  Yes,  father,"  said  the  little  girl,  "  I  think 
he  does,  for  when  I  offered  him  the  largest 
peach,  he  would  not  take  it,  and  wanted  me  to 
keep  it ;  and  it  was  a  good  while  before  I  could 
get  him  to  take  it." 


HONESTY. 

That  "  honesty  is  the  best  policy,"  was  illus- 
trated some  years  since,  under  the  following  cir- 
cumstances :  A  lad  was  proceeding  to  an  un- 
cle's, to  petition  him  for  his  sick  mother  and  her 
children,  when  he  found  a  wallet  containing  fifty 
dollars.  The  aid  was  refused,  and  the  distressed 
family  was  pinched  with  want.  The  boy  re- 
vealed his  fortune  to  his  mother,  but  expressed 
a  doubt  about  using  any  portion  of  the  money. 
His  mother  confirmed  his  good  resolution,  the 
pocket  book  was  advertised,  and  the  owner 
found.  Being  a  man  of  wTealth,  and  uniting 
with  that  a  generons  heart,  upon  learning  the 
condition  of  the  family  he  presented  the  fifty 
dollars  to  the  sick  mother,  and  took  the  boy  into 
his  sevice,  and  he  is  now  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful merchants  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  Hon- 
esty always  brings  reward — to  the  mind  if  not 
to  the  pocket. 


36       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

A  foolish  servant  girl,  in  Boston,  being  about 
to  leave  her  place  and  get  married,  forgot  her 
honesty  and  stole  a  large  number  of  articles, 
which  she  was  likely  to  want  on  starting  in  life. 
She  was  detected,  and  it  turned  out  that  most 
of  the  outfit  had  actually  been  purchased  by  her 
kind  mistress  as  a  present  to  the  girl  when  she 
should  leave  her  house  for  her  new  home. 

Behold  in  the  above  a  fair  picture  of  the  want 
of  faith,  and  trust  in  well-doing.  If  this  girl 
had  trusted  in  the  word,  that  the  reward  is  sure 
to  those  that  hold  out  faithful  to  the  end,  she 
would  have  received  these  things  from  her  kind 
mistress,  and  with  the  things  a  good  character. 
And  her  happiness  could  only  have  been  im- 
agined by  the  faithful;  but  she  trusted  in  self, 
and  her  peace  has  fled,  and  joy  she  has  not. 


ANECDOTE,  WITH  A  MORAL. 

When  Charles  the  Second  chartered  the 
Royal  society,  it  is  narrated  of  him  that  he  was 
disposed  to  give  the  philosophers  a  royal,  but  at 
the  same  time  a  wholesome  lecture. 

"Why  is  it,  my  lords  and  gentlemen,"  said 
he,  "  that  if  you  fill  a  vessel  with  water  to  the 
very  brim,  so  that  it  will  not  hold  a  single 
drop  more,  yet,  putting  a  turbot  into  the  wa- 
ter, it  shall  not  overflow  the  vessel  ?" 

Many  were  the  sage  conjectures:  that  the 
fish  would  drink  as  much  water  as  compensated 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        37 

for  his  own  bulk ;  that  he  condensed  the  water 
to  that  amount ;  that  the  air-bladder  had  some- 
thing to  do  w7ith  the  phenomenon,  and  a  hundred 
others,  which  were  propounded  and  abandoned 
in  their  turn,  much  to  the  amusement  of  the 
merry  monarch.  At  length,  Christopher  Wren, 
the  architect,  modestly  asked,  "But  is  your 
majesty  sure  that  such  would  be  the  case?" 

"Ah,  there,"  exclaimed  his  majesty,  laugh- 
ing, "  you  have  it !  Always,  gentlemen,  find 
out  whether  the  thing  be  true  before  you  proceed 
to  account  for  it;  then  I  shall  not  be  ashamed 
of  the  charter  I  have  given  you." 


WANTON  CRUELTY. 
Hateful  are  the  beginnings  of  cruelty,  whe- 
ther practised  against  mankind,  or  against  the 
unoffending  creatures  of  the  inferior  orders. 
How  insensibly  they  spread  their  influence  over 
the  heart  of  a  child,  and  set  his  hands  to  work 
in  doing  evil !  The  fly  is  caught  on  the  win- 
dow pane,  and  torn  to  pieces.  The  painted 
butterfly  is  pursued  and  crushed  ;  the  frog  and 
toad  are  stoned  to  death ;  the  cat  and  dog  are 
tormented  ;  in  the  course  of  time  the  fish-hook 
and  the  fowling-piece  become  favorites.  The 
love  of  war  follows ;  and  thus  he  who  began 
by  impaling  a  fly,  is  able  to  end  by  helping  to 
sack  a  city.  Sad  are  both  the  beginnings  and 
endings  of  cruelty. 

4 


38        SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDEFN. 


YOUTHFUL  EXAMPLE. 
What  if  a  little  drop  should  say, 

So  small  a  drop  as  I 
Can  ne'er  refresh  these  thirsty  fields, 

I'll  tarry  in  the  sky? 

What  if  a  shining  beam  of  noon 
Should  in  its  fountain  stay, 

Because  its  feeble  light  alone, 
Cannot  create  a  day? 

Doth  not  each  rain-drop  help  to  form 
The  cool,  refreshing-  shower; 

And  every  ray  of  light  to  warm, 
And  beautify  the  flower? 

Then  let  each  child  its  influence  give, 
0  Lord,  to  truth  and  thee; 

Then  shall  its  power  by  all  be  felt, 
However  small  it  be. 


EARTH  AND  HEAVEN. 
If  God  through  every  change  can  keep 

This  earth  so  good  and  fair, 
We  turn  our  eyes  towards  heaven  and  say, 

What  beauty  must  be  there. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        39 


THE  LITTLE  SUNDAY  SCHOLAR. 

A  very  little  boy  was  playing  one  day  near 
the  hearth,  when  his  clothes  took  fire :  and,  as 
he  had  on  an  apron  which  was  tied  close 
around  his  neck,  his  throat  was  dreadfully 
burned  before  the  fire  could  be  put  out.  After 
some  time  the  wound  healed,  but  it  left  his 
mouth  and  lower  jaw  drawn  sideways,  quite 
down  towards  his  neck,  so  that  he  could  scarce- 
ly shut  his  mouth,  and  it  was  quite  impossible 
for  him  to  raise  his  head.  As  he  began  to 
grow,  it  became  very  painful  for  him  to  hold 
his  head  always  in  this  manner ;  and  he  was 
often  laughed  at,  and  mocked  by  cruel  and 
thoughtless  children  in  the  streets.  This,  how- 
ever he  bore  without  complaining,  and  was  al- 
ways anxious  to  attend  his  Sunday  school, 
where  he  was  very  attentive  to  all  that  was 
taught  him. 

His  parents  finding  that,  as  he  grew  older, 
his  head  and  neck  grew  more  and  more  painful, 
at  last  consented  that  the  doctors  should  try, 
whether  they  could  not  cut  off  part  of  the  flesh 
which  held  his  jaw  down  to  his  neck,  as  it  was 
thought  nothing  else  would  relieve  him.  The 
little  boy  was  told  of  this,  and  though  he  knew 
it  would  give  him  a  great  deal  of  pain,  and  that 
the  doctors  thought  it  might  possibly  cause  his 
death,  he  soon  became  willing  to  do  as  his  pa- 


40       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

rents  wished.  He  told  his  mother  he  thought 
he  had  given  his  heart  to  God,  and  now  he  did 
not  much  wish  to  live. 

As  soon  as  he  was  allowed  to  speak,  after 
the  operation  was  performed,  he  said,  that  when 
the  doctor  first  began  to  cut  him,  he  thought  he 
could  not  bear  it  and  live  ;  but  that  he  prayed 
to  God  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  help  him 
to  bear  it,  and,  after  that,  he  did  not  feel  near 
so  much  pain. 

His  teacher  had  missed  him  from  the  school 
for  two  Sundays,  but,  as  he  did  not  know  what 
had  been  done,  he  thought  the  boy  had  stayed 
at  home  on  account  of  the  weather,  which  was 
then  very  cold.  The  next  Sunday,  a  little  girl 
came  into  the  school  room  and  told  the  teacher 
that  her  brother  was  very  ill;  that  the  doctors 
had  cut  a  large  swelling  from  his  neck  ;  that  he 
would  like  to  see  his  teacher,  and  often  wTept 
when  he  spoke  about  it.  The  littl  girl  added, 
"he  says,  too,  he  thinks  he  has  got  religion." 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  school  was  over, 
the  gentleman  went  to  see  him;  and,  when  he 
entered  the  room,  he  found  the  suffering  boy 
lying  on  his  little  bed.  His  face  was  bound 
up,  but  all  that  could  be  seen  of  it  was  very 
pale.  The  color  came  into  his  cheek,  and  his 
eye  looked  brighter  as  he  took  the  hand  of  his 
teacher.  He  said  but  little,  for  it  was  painful 
for  him  to  speak,  but  what  he  did  say  was  very 
pleasing. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        41 

By  the  great  mercy  of  God,  this  poor  little 
boy  got  quite  well  again,  and  was  able  to  raise 
his  head  without  any  pain. 


THE  FLOWERS. 

A  little  girl  was  passing  by  a  garden  in 
which  she  saw  some  very  pretty  flowers.  She 
wished  exceedingly  to  have  some  of  them;  she 
could  easily  have  put  her  hands  between  the 
rails  and  have  taken  them,  and  perhaps  nobody 
would  have  seen  her.  But  she  knew  she  must 
never  take  other  people's  things  without  their 
leave;  for  that  would  be  very  wicked;  it  would 
be  stealing.  So,  after  thinking  a  little  while,  she 
resolved  what  to  do.  She  went  up  to  the  door 
of  the  house  and  knocked ;  when  the  mistress 
of  the  house  came  to  the  door,  she  asked  her 
very  prettily,  to  give  her  some  of  the  nice  flow- 
ers that  grew  in  her  garden.  The  mistress 
was  glad  she  had  not  taken  any  of  the  flowers 
without  leave ;  and  gave  her  some  of  those 
which  she  asked  for.  She  then  took  the  little 
girl  into  another  garden,  that  was  larger  and 
prettier  than  the  one  she  had  seen  at  first,  and 
showed  her  the  flowers  that  grew  in  it,  and 
gathered  a  fine  large  nosegay  for  her,  made  up 
of  a  great  many  kinds  of  pretty  flowers. 

If  the  little  girl  had  taken  the  flowers  she 
first  saw,  she  would  have  been  frightened  while 
4* 


42       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

she  was  getting  them;  when  she  had  got  them, 
she  would  have  been  afraid  lest  any  body  should 
see  her  with  them ;  and  if  she  had  been  asked 
where,  or  how  she  had  got  them,  she  would 
most  likely  have  told  a  lie  to  hide  her  first  fault. 
And  how  uncomfortable  she  would  have  felt  at 
night,  when  she  lay  down  and  thought  on  what 
she  had  been  doing  in  the  day-time ;  and  how 
afraid  she  would  have  been  to  pray  to  the  great 
God  who  has  said,  "  Thou  shalt  not  steal,"  and 
has  said  too,  "  Thieves  shall  not  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  God." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       43 


THE  HONEST  BOY. 

Some  time  ago  the  Duke  of  Buccleugh,  in 
one  of  his  walks,  purchased  a  cow  from  a  per- 
son in  the  neighborhood  of  Dalkeith,  and  left  or- 
ders to  send  it  to  his  place  the  following  morn- 
ing; according  to  agreement  the  cow  was  sent, 
and  the  Duke  happened  to  be  in  dishabille,  and 
walking  in  the  avenue,  espied  a  little  fellow  in- 
effectually attempting  to  drive  the  animal  for- 
ward to  its  destination.  The  boy,  not  knowing 
the  Duke,  bawled  out  to  him — 

"  Oh,  I  say  mun,  come  here  an'  gie's  a  han' 
wi'  this  beast." 

The  Duke  saw  the  mistake,  and  determined 
on  having  a  joke  with  the  little  fellow;  pre- 
tending, therefore,  not  to  understand  him,  the 
Duke  walked  on  slowly,  the  boy  still  craving 
his  assistance;  at  last  he  cries,  in  a  tone  of  ap- 
parent distress, 

"  Come  here,  mun,  an'  help  us,  an'  as  sure 
as  ony  thing  I'll  gie  ye  half  I  get ! " 

This  last  solicitation  had  the  desired  effect. 
The  Duke  went  and  lent  a  helping  hand. 

"And  now,"  said  the  Duke,  as  they  trudged 
along,  "  how  much  do  you  think  ye'll  get  for 
this  job?" 

"  Oh,  I  dinna  ken,"  said  the  boy,  "  but  I'm 
sure  o'  something,  for  the  folk  up  by  at  the 
house  are  good  to  a'  body." 


44       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

As  they  approached  the  house,  the  Duke 
darted  from  the  boy,  and  entered  by  a  different 
way.  He  called  a  servant,  and  put 'a  sovereign 
in  his  hand,  saying,  "  Give  that  to  the  boy  that 
has  brought  the  cow."  The  Duke  returned  to 
the  avenue,  and  was  soon  rejoined  by  the  boy. 

"  Well,  how  much  did  you  get?"  said  the 
Duke. 

"A  shilling,"  said  the  boy,  "an'  there's  the 
half  o'  it  e  ye." 

"  But  you  surely  got  more  than  a  shilling," 
said  the  Duke. 

"  No,"  said  the  boy  with  the  utmost  earnest- 
ness, "  as  sure's  death  that's  a'  I  got,  an'  d'ye 
no  think  it's  plenty  !  " 

"I  do  not,"  said  the  Duke;  "there  must  be 
some  mistake,  and  as  I  am  acquainted  with  the 
Duke,  if  you  return,  I  think  I'll  get  you  more." 

The  boy  consented;  back  they,  went;  the 
Duke  rang  the  bell,  and  ordered  all  the  servants 
to  be  assembled. 

"Now,"  said  the  Duke  to  the  boy,  "point 
me  out  the  person  that  gave  you  the  shilling." 

"  It  was  that  chap  there  with  the  apron," 
pointing  to  the  butler. 

The  delinquent  confessed,  fell  on  his  knees, 
and  attempted  an  apology,  but  the  Duke  inter- 
rupted him,  indignantly  ordered  him  to  give  the 
boy  the  sovereign,  and  quit  his  service  instantly. 

"  You  have  lost,"  said  the  Duke,  "  your  mo- 
ney, your  situation,  and  your  character,  by  your 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       45 

learn,  henceforth,  that  honesty- 
is  the  best  policy." 

The  boy  by  this  time  recognized  his  assistant 
in  the  person  of  the  Duke,  and  the  Duke  was 
so  delighted  with  the  sterling  worth  and  honesty 
of  the  boy,  that  he  ordered  him  to  be  sent  to 
school,  kept  there,  and  provided  for  at  his  own 
expense. 


THE  POOR  SHEPHERD  BOY. 
The  Rev.  John  Brown,  when  a  poor  shep- 
herd boy,  conceived  the  idea  of  learning  Latin 
and  Greek,  and  having  procured  a  few  old 
books,  actually  accomplished  the  task  while 
tending  his  cattle  on  the  hills.  So  successful 
was  he,  that  some  of  the  old  and  superstitious 
people  in  the  neighborhood  concluded  that  he 
must  have  been  assisted  by  the  "  evil  spirit." 
On  one  occasion  he  went  to  Edinburgh,  plaided 
and  barefoot,  walked  into  a  bookseller's  store, 
and  asked  for  a  Greek  Testament.  "  What  are 
you  going  to  do  with  a  Greek  Testament?" 
said  the  bookseller.  "Read  it,"  was  the  prompt 
reply.  "  Read  it !  "  exclaimed  the  skeptical 
bookseller,  with  a  smile,  "  ye  may  have  it  for 
nothing  if  ye'll  read  it."  Taking  the  book  he 
quietly  read  off  a  few  verses,  and  gave  the 
translation  ;  on  which  he  was  permitted  to  carry 
off  the  Greek  Testament  in  triumph. 


46       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


OLD  JACK,  THE  FAVORITE  HORSE. 

My  father  had  a  horse,  when  I  was  a  little 
be-}',  that  was  quite  a  pet  with  the  whole  family. 
We  called  him  Jack,  and  he  knew  his  name  as 
well  as  I  did.  The  biography  of  the  old  vete- 
ran would  be  very  interesting,  I  am  sure,  if  any 
body  were  to  write  it.  I  do  not  mean  to  be  his 
biographer,  however,  though  my  partiality  for 
him  will  be  a  sufficient  apology  for  a  slight 
sketch. 

Old  Jack  was  a  very  intelligent  horse.  He 
would  always  come  when  he  heard  his  name 
called,  let  him  be  ever  so  far  distant  in  the  pas- 
ture ;  that  is,  if  he  had  a  mind  to  come.  Of 
course,  being  a  gentleman  of  discernment,  he 
sometimes  chose  to  stay  where  he  was,  and  en- 
joy his  walk.  This  was  especially  the  case 
when  the  grass  was  very  green,  and  when  the 
person  who  came  for  him  chanced  to  be  a  little 
green  also.  Jack  had  his  faults,  it  cannot  be 
denied,  and  among  them  perhaps,  the  most  pro- 
minent, was  a  strong  aversion  to  being  caught 
by  any  body  but  my  father,  whom  he  seemed 
to  regard  as  having  the  sole  right  to  summon 
him  from  the  pasture.  I  used  occasionally  to 
try  my  hand  at  catching  him.  In  fact,  I  suc- 
ceeded several  times,  by  stratagem  only.  I 
carried  a  measure  containing  a  few  gills  of  oats 
with  me  into  the  field,  and  his  love  for  oats  was 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       47 

so  much  stronger  than  his  dislike  of  the  catch- 
ing process,  that  I  secured  him.  But  after  a 
while  the  old  fellow  became  too  cunning  for 
me.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  quan- 
tity of  his  favorite  dish  was  too  small  to  warrant 
him  in  sacrificing  his  freedom.  He  had  some 
knowledge  of  arithmetic  you  see.  Certainly  he 
must  have  cyphered  as  far  as  loss  and  gain. 
One  day  I  went  into  the  pasture  with  my  bridle 
concealed  behind  me,  and  just  about  enough 
oats  to  cover  the  bottom  of  my  measure,  and 
advanced  carefully  toward  the  spot  where  old 
Jack  was  quietly  grazing  in  the  meadow.  He 
did  not  stir  as  1  approached.  He  held  up  his 
head  a  little,  and  seemed  to  be  thinking  what 
it  was  best  to  do.  I  drew  nearer,  encouraged, 
of  course.  The  cunning  fellow  let  me  come 
within  a  few  feet  of  him,  and  then  suddenly 
wheeled  around,  threw  his  heels  into  the  air, 
a  great  deal  too  near  my  head,  and  then  started 
off  at  full  gallop,  snorting  his  delight  at  the 
fun,  and  seeming  to  say,  "  I  am  not  so  great  a 
fool  as  you  suppose." 

Still  Old  Jack  was  kind  and  gentle.  My 
father  never  had  any  trouble  with  him,  and 
many  a  long  mile  have  I  rode  after  him,  when 
he  went  over  the  ground  like  a  bird.  I  loved 
him,  with  all  his  faults,  I  loved  him  dearly,  and 
when  he  was  sold,  we  all  had  a  long  crying 
spell  about  it.  I  remember  the  time  well,  when 
the  man  who  purchased  our  old  pet  came  to 


48       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

take  him  away.  I  presume  the  man  was  kind 
enough,  but  really  I  never  could  forgive  him 
for  buying  the  horse.  He  was  rather  a  rough- 
looking  man,  and  he  laughed  a  good  deal  when 
we  told  him  he  must  be  good  to  Jack,  and  give 
him  plenty  of  oats,  and  not  make  him  work  too 
hard.  I  went  out  with  my  sister,  to  bid  our  old 
friend  a  last  sad  good  bye.  We  carried  him 
some  green  grass;  we  knew  how  well  he  loved 
grass,  he  had  given  us  proof  enough  of  that ; 
and  while  he  was  eating  it,  and  the  man  was 
preparing  to  take  him  away,  we  talked  with 
old  Jack  with  tears  in  our  eyes;  wTe  told  him 
how  sorry  we  were  to  part  with  him,  and  he 
seemed  to  be  sad  too,  for  he  stopped  eating  his 
grass,  and  looked  at  us  tenderly,  while  we  put 
our  arms  around  his  neck  and  caressed  him  for 
the  last  time. 

I  have  had  a  great  many  pets  since  —  cats 
and  dogs,  squirrels  and  rabbits,  canary  birds 
and  parrots — but  never  any  that  I  loved  more 
than  I  did  old  Jack ;  and  to  this  day  1  am 
ashamed  of  the  deception  I  practised  upon  him 
in  the  matter  of  the  oats,  wThen  trying  to  catch 
him.  I  don't  wonder  he  resented  the  trick,  and 
played  one  on  me  in  return. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       49 


DR.  OLIN'S  VISIT  TO  THE  RIVER  JORDAN. 

Every  thing  was  quiet,  but  wide  awake, 
watching  for  the  morning.  Groups  were  as- 
sembled, standing  or  sitting  on  the  ground,  in 
all  directions  through  the  camp  and  grove,  either 
silent  or  conversing  in  low  tones.  Between 
two  and  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  sallied 
forth  again,  and  was  surprised  to  find  every  one 
upon  his  feet,  by  the  side  of  his  horse  or  don- 
key, ready  equipped  for  a  start. 

There  had  been  no  bustle  for  preparation  ; 
the  camp  was  still  covered  with  darkness,  and 
we  had  received  no  information  that  so  unsea 
sonable  a  movement  was  to  be  made.  I  soon 
fell  in  with  a  gentleman  of  our  parly,  who  was 
beset  with  the  prevailing  tendency  of  watchful- 
ness, and  we  walked  together  to  the  north  side 
of  the  camp.  A  moment  after,  a  man  at  a  lit- 
tle distance  from  us,  mounted  a  horse,  and  lift- 
ing a  blazing  flambeau  on  high,  shouted  at  the 
topof  his  voice,  "Yellah!"  "Go!"  A  hundred 
torches  were  blazing  in  an  instant,  and  the 
whole  field  was  illuminated,  as  by  a  flash  of 
lightning.  In  the  same  breath,  as  if  moved  by 
a  single  volition,  the  whole  pilgrim  army  were 
mounted,  and  in  motion  towards  Jordan.  In 
five  minutes  more,  the  governor  and  his  suite 
followed,  attended  by  a  band  of  music,  which 
struck  up  a  lively  air. 
5 


50       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

Whether  this  simultaneous  movement  was 
the  result  of  previous  concert,  or  of  the  univer- 
sal eagerness  and  excitement.  I  know  not,  but 
it  had  almost  the  appearance  of  enchantment. 
It  was  now  after  three  o'clock  when  I  returned 
again  to  my  tent,  and  sought  with  better  suc- 
cess a  short  season  of  repose.  Not  being  aware 
that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  pilgrims  to  set 
out  at  so  early  an  hour,  our  party  had  fixed  on 
six  o'clock  as  the  time  for  leaving  the  camp.  I 
had  sufficient  reason  to  fear  we  should  be  too 
late  for  the  religious  spectacle,  when  I  saw  the 
early  movement  of  the  host. 

Our  muleteers,  with  their  animals,  were  out 
of  the  way,  and  a  detachment  of  mounted  men 
which  the  governor  had  left  behind  for  our 
protection,  and  to  accompany  us  during  the  re- 
mainder of  our  excursion,  were  not  likely  to  be 
in  readiness  before  the  hour  appointed.  An 
unusual  spirit  of  drowsiness  seemed  to  have 
fallen  upon  us  all,  and  it  was  six  before  we  got 
under  way.  We  passed  by  the  village,  making, 
however,  but  little  delay,  and  hastened  toward 
Jordan,  with  a  slight  expectation  only  of  arriving 
in  time  to  witness  the  ceremony.  We  rode  at 
a  quick  step  for  half  an  hour  or  more,  and  were 
full  two  miles  from  the  river  when  we  met  the 
head  of  the  returning  cavalcade.  The  religious 
service  and  ablution  in  the  sacred  river  had 
been  performed  a  little  after  day-break,  and  the 
multitude  were  now  on  their  way  back  to  the 
camp,  where  their  tents  had  been  left  standing. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       51 

We  halted  to  observe  the  train,  which  moved 
slowly  by  us,  while  the  rear  still  rested  on  the 
bank  of  the  Jordan.  All  were  engaged  in 
singing  hymns,  and  I  thought  I  had  never  seen 
so  many  happy  faces.  They  had  attained  the 
summit  of  earthly  bliss,  an  indescribable  air  of 
satisfaction,  the  beaming  forth  of  heartfelt  joy, 
rested  upon  every  countenance.  Nearly  every 
one  of  the  vast  multitude  exhibited  some  me- 
morial of  his  visit  to  the  holy  waters.  Some 
had  long  branches  of  the  Jordan  willow,  with 
tufts  of  foliage  left  upon  the  extremity,  waving 
about  their  heads.  Almost  all  had  walking- 
sticks  of  the  same  material,  and  several,  less 
affected  by  the  prevailing  enthusiasm  than  the 
desire  of  gain,  had  their  beasts  loaded  wTith 
trunks  of  trees,  to  be  wrought  into  crucifixes, 
caskets,  and  toys,  or  articles  of  small  furniture, 
and  thus  to  become  the  basis  of  profitable  traf- 
fic. 


BENEVOLENCE. 

A  disposition  to  grasp,  and  keep  entirely  for 
their  own  use,  money,  toys,  or  any  other  arti- 
cles, is  always  odious  in  children ;  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  it  is  delightful  to  see  young 
persons  liberally  dividing  with  their  brothers, 
sisters,  and  companions,  any  good  things  which 
fall  to  their  share.     A  fine  anecdote,  exemplary 


52       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

of  this  species  of  liberality,  is  told  of  two  boys, 
the  sons  of  the  Earl  of  Elgin,  who  were  per- 
mitted by  their  father  to  associate  with  the  poor 
boys  in  the  neighborhood.  One  day  the  Earl's 
sons  being  called  to  dinner,  a  lad  who  was 
playing  with  them  said  that  he  would  wait  till 
they  returned.  "  There  is  no  dinner  for  me  at 
home,"  said  the  poor  boy.  "  Come  with  us, 
then,"  said  the  Earl's  sons.  The  boy  refused ; 
and  when  they  asked  him  if  he  had  any  money 
to  buy  a  dinner,  he  answered  (i  No  !  "  When 
the  young  gentlemen  got  home,  the  eldest  of 
them  said  to  his  father,  "  Papa,  what  was  the 
price  of  the  silver  buckles  you  gave  me?" 
"  Five  shillings,"  was  the  reply.  "  Let  me 
have  the  money,  and  I'll  give  you  the  buckles 
again."  It  was  done  accordingly,  and  the  Earl 
enquiring  privately,  found  that  the  money  was 
given  to  the  lad  who  had  no  dinner. 


AN  EXAMPLE  FOR  YOUTH. 

A  little  boy  in  destitute  circumstances  was 
put  out  as  an  apprentice  to  a  mechanic.  For 
sometime  he  was  youngest  apprentice,  and  of 
course  had  to  go  upon  errands  for  the  appren- 
tices, and  not  unfrequently  to  procure  for  them 
ardent  spirits  of  which  all  but  himself  partook, 
because,  as  they  said,  it  did  them  good.  He, 
however,  used  none ;  and  in  consequence  of  it, 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       53 

was  often  the  subject  of  severe  ridicule  from  the 
older  apprentices,  because,  as  they  said,  he  had 
not  sufficient  manhood  to  drink  rum.  And  as 
they  were  revelling  over  their  poison,  he,  under 
their  insults  and  cruelty,  often  retired  and  vent- 
ed his  grief  in  tears.  But  now  every  one  of 
the  older  apprentices,  we  are  informed,  is  a 
drunkard,  or  in  a  drunkard's  grave ;  and  this 
youngest  apprentice,  at  whom  they  used  to  scoff, 
is  sober  and  respectable,  and  worth  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  In  his  employment  are  about 
one  hundred  men,  who  do  not  use  ardent  spirits; 
he  is  exerting  upon  man}'  thousands  an  influence 
in  the  highest  degree  salutary,  which  may  be 
transmitted  by  them  to  future  generations,  and 
be  the  means,  through  grace,  of  preparing  mul- 
titudes not  only  for  usefulness  and  respectability 
on  earth,  but  for  an  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory. 

WRINKLES. 

Young  woman,  would  you  have  wrinkles  on 
your  face?"  "  Not  for  the  world,"  you  reply. 
Then  cease  fretting,  and  murmuring,  and  re- 
pining. Rise  at  early  dawn,  take  the  broom, 
sweep  the  floor,  make  the  beds,  and  get  break- 
fast yourself.  Such  employment,  with  a  cheer- 
ful heart,  will  keep  you  from  growing  prema- 
turely old,  and  having  your  face  lined  with 
wrinkles  and  scowls. 

5* 


54       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


TIE  YOUR  SHOE-STRINGS. 
I  knew  a  little  heedless  boy, 

Who  seldom  thought  or  cared, 
If  he  could  get  his  cake  and  toy, 

How  other  mailers  fared. 

No  malice  in  his  heart  was  there; 

And  scarce  a  fault  beside, t 
So  great  as  that  of  wanting  care, 

To  keep  his  shoe-strings  tied. 

You'd  often  see  him  on  the  run, 

To  chase  the  geese  about, 
While  both  his  shoe-strings  were  undone, 

With  one  perhaps  slipp'd  out. 

He'd  tread  on  one,  then  down  he'd  go, 

While  round  the  welkin  rings 
With  bitter  cries,  and  sounds  of  woe, 

"  Why  don't  he  tie  his  strings?" 

Then  home  he'd  hasten  through  the  street, 

To  tell  about  his  fall; 
While  on  the  little  sloven's  feet, 

The  cause  was  plain  to  all. 

For,  while  he  shook  his  aching  hand, 

Complaining  of  the  bruise, 
The  strings  were  trailing  through  the  sand, 

From  both  his  loosen'd  shoe" 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        55 

One  day,  his  father  thought  a  ride 

Would  do  the  children  good, 
But  Jemmy's  shoe-strings  were  untied, 

As  on  the  stairs  he  stood. 

In  hastening  down  to  take  his  place, 

With  clothes  all  nice  and  clean, 
Wide  sprawling  on  his  hands  and  face, 

Poor  Jemmy  soon  is  seen. 

The  dragging  string  had  made  him  trip, 
And  bump!  bump!  went  his  head, 

He  bruis'd  his  nose,  and  cut  his  lip; 
And  tears  and  blood  were  shed. 

His  aching  wounds  he  meekly  bore; 

But  with  a  swelling  heart, 
He  heard  the  carriage  from  the  door, 

With  all  but  him,  depart! 

This  grievous  lesson  taught  him  care, 

And  now  he  says,  or  sings: 
"  No  more  shall  Jemmy  Johnson  wear 

A  shoe  with  untried  strings." 


LIFE. 
Life  is  real,  life  is  earnest, 

And  the  grave  is  not  its  goal: 
"Dust  thou  art  —  to  dust  relurnest 

Was  not  spoken  of  the  soul. 


56       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


THE  SABBATH  CLASS. 

Miss  Carter  had  a  class  of  little  boys  in  the 
Sabbath  school.  The  name  of  one  was  Robert 
Wood,  of  another  William  Brown,  of  another 
John  Noys,  and  of  the  youngest  Charles  Ten- 
ney.  Miss  Carter  was  a  very  good  teacher, 
and  her  scholars  loved  her  much.  One  morn- 
ing she  said,  "  I  am  going  to  ask  you  all  a  ques- 
tion, and  I  hope  you  will  give  me  a  good  an- 
swer.   I  wish  you  all  to  think  before  you  speak." 

"  What  is  the  question?"  said  Robert. 

"  I  wish  to  ask  you  all,  what  you  come  to 
Sunday  school  for?" 

"  I  come  to  learn  to  do  good,"  said  Robert. 

"  I  learn  about  the  Bible,"  said  William. 

"  I  think  we  come  to  please  ourselves,  that 
is  what  I  come  for,"  said  Charles. 

"  I  think  we  come  to  please  our  fathers  and 
mothers,"  said  John. 

"  Which  has  given  the  right  answer?"  said 
William. 

"You  have  all  told  the  truth,"  said  Miss 
Carter.  "I  think  you  come  to  learn  to  be  good, 
to  learn  about  the  Bible,  to  please  yourselves, 
and  to  please  your  fathers  and  mothers." 

"Then  has  not  one  given  a  better  answer 
than  the  other?"  said  Robert. 

"  Yes,  I  think  your  answer  is  the  best,  Robert; 
because  it  is  the  reason  why  you  all  ought  to 
come  to  Sunday  school." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        57 

"I  should  think  learning  about  the  Bible 
was  a  good  reason." 

"  It  is,  my  dear;  but  it  is  not  the  most  impor- 
tant one.  Don't  you  think  a  boy  may  know  a 
great  deal  about  the  Bible,  and  yet  be  a  bad 
boy." 

"  Yes,  I  am  sure  I  do — " 

'•And  I,"  said  Robert,  "know  a  boy  who 
can  repeat  several  chapters  in  the  Bible  with- 
out missing  a  word,  who  is  so  proud  that  none 
of  the  boys  like  him ;  and  a  girl  who  is  only 
six  years  old,  who  knows  all  the  stories  in  the 
Old  Testament,  and  yet  frits  so  much  at  her 
brothers  and  sisters,  that  none  of  them  love  her 
at  all." 

"  What  you  have  said,  shows  that  you  may 
know  a  great  deal  about  the  Bible,  and  yet  be 
bad  boys.  As  for  your  answer,  John,  of  ccming 
to  please  your  father  and  mother,  it  is  a  good 
reason  for  coming ;  but  yet,  you  may  come  from 
that  motive,  and  not  improve  your  time  while 
you  are  here." 

"  Is  not  my  reason  a  good  one,"  said  Charles? 
"I  said  we  come  to  please  ourselves." 

"  That  may  be  a  good  reason,  and  it  may  be 
a  bad  one." 

"  How  can  it  be  a  bad  one?" 

"  It's  being  good  or  bad  depends  on  what  it 
is  which  pleases  you." 

"  Going  to  Sundav  school  is  what  pleases 
me." 


58       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  Yes,  I  know  it  pleases  you  to  go  to  Sunday- 
school,  but  why  does  it  please  you?" 

"  I  don't  exactly  know.  There  are  a  great 
many  things  which  please  me  at  meeting  and 
Sunday  school." 

"  I  have  seen  some  boys  and  girls  spend  a 
great  deal  of  their  time  while  in  the  Sabbath 
class,  in  laughing  and  playing.  Do  you  think 
that  they  come  to  school  from  a  good  motive?" 

"  I  think  they  had  better  stay  at  home,  than 
come  to  laugh  and  play." 

"  Don't  you  think  these  children  love  to  come 
to  Sunday  school?'* 

"  Yes,  I  know  some  who  like  to  come  very 
much,  who  don't  learn  any  thing  good,  and 
who  push  the  other  boys,  and  make  all  play 
that  are  near  them." 

"Then  you  think  as  I  do,  that  a  boy  may 
like  to  come  to  Sunday  school,  and  yet  be  a  bad 
boy.  I  wish  you  all  to  come  to  Sunday  school 
to  learn  to  be  good  boys — learn  as  much  about 
the  Bible  as  you  possibly  can.  Always  look 
at  your  teacher  when  she  is  talking  with  you. 
Try  to  remember  what  she  says  to  you,  and  re- 
peat it  to  your  parents  when  you  go  home." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       59 


HINDOO  SUPERSTITION. 

It  may  seem  incredible,  says  a  writer  in  the 
Christian  Reflector,  but  it  is  undoubtedly  true, 
that  there  now  exists  at  the  Marmadilla  Fank, 
in  the  middle  of  the  city  and  island  of  Bombay, 
British  India,  a  human  being  who  has  inhabited 
a  summer-house,  and  held  on  the  palm  of  his 
left  hand  a  heavy  flower-pot  for  twenty-one 
years  without  intermission.  The  narrator  of 
this  circumstance  actually  saw  the  hermit,  (for 
such  he  is  called.)  The  arm  is  completely 
sinew-bound  and  shrivelled,  the  nails  of  his  fin- 
gers nine  inches  long,  and  curved  like  the  talons 
of  a  bird.  His  beard  nearly  reaches  to  the 
ground  when  standing  erect. 

Whilst  sitting,  the  man  rests  his  elbow  on 
his  knee,  and  when  walking  he  supports  it  with 
the  other  hand.  His  countenance  indicates 
intelligence,  and  he  once  had  very  extensive 
possessions.  All  he  now  possesses,  is  a  few 
rags  round  the  middle  of  his  body,  and  a  servant 
who  is  allowed  to  attend  to  his  immediate  wants, 
the  pecuniary  part  of  which  is  supplied  by  vi- 
sitors. 

Twenty-one  years  ago  he  lost  caste  by  eat- 
ing mutton  !  an  indulgence  in  totally  forbid- 
den food,  and  consequently  condemned  to  hold 
for  thirty  years  a  large  flower-pot,  filled  with 
earth,  in  which  grows  a  sacred  plant.     To  lose 


60       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

caste,  and  not  be  able  to  take  it  up  again,  ac- 
cording to  the  superstition  of  these  deluded 
idolaters,  is  to  incur  the  penalty  of  everlasting 
misery  in  a  future  state.  What  an  example 
does  this  poor  deluded  creature  afford,  of  per- 
severance, zeal,  courage,  and  devotion,  worthy 
even  of  the  highest  cause.  If  he  live  to  redeem 
his  caste,  most  likely  he  will  hereafter  be  set 
apart  to  be  worshipped  as  a  god. 


THE  EYES  OF  INSECTS. 
How  wonderfully  constructed  is  this  beautiful 
organ  of  insect  vision  !  How  admirably  adapt- 
ed to  the  necessities  of  insects !  The  gaudy 
dragon  fly,  presenting  as  he  does  such  a  con- 
spicuous tempting  show  of  colors  to  the  active 
swallow,  eludes  the  feathered  enemy  by  su- 
perior agility  of  flight.  More  agility,  however, 
would  avail  nothing  without  the  aid  of  power- 
ful eyes.  Accordingly,  nature  has  given  him 
somewhat  more  than  12,000  bright  and  piercing 
eyes;  some  looking  upwards,  some  downwards, 
some  backwards,  and  some  on  either  side.  In 
the  ant,  there  are  fifty  of  these  faces  or  eyes ; 
in  the  horse  fly,  four  thousand  :  in  butterflies, 
upwards  of  seventeen  thousand  three  hundred 
and  fifty-five  have  been  counted  —  nay,  in  some 
coleopterous  or  scaly-winged  insects,  there  have 
been  numbered  no  less  than  twenty-eight  thou- 
sand and  eighty- eight. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       61 


THE  CARELESS  GIRL. 

The  careless  girl  is  always  unfortunate.  If 
she  goes  into  the  kitchen,  to  assist  about  the 
work,  she  splashes  the  water  upon  the  wall ; 
drops  oil  on  the  floor ;  spills  fat  in  the  fire  ; 
scorches  her  clothes ;  burns  her  cakes  ;  breaks 
the  crockery  ;  or  cuts  her  fingers  with  the  carv- 
ing knife.  If  directed  to  sweep  the  keeping 
room,  she  oversets  a  lamp,  or  brushes  ofF  a  table 
cover,  and  sends  Bibles  and  hymn  books  sprawl- 
ing on  the  floor.  Or,  if  passing  through  the 
parlor,  she  swings  her  dress  against  the  centre 
table,  and  brushes  off  costly  books,  bruising  the 
fancy  binding,  and  soiling  their  edges.  Every 
where  she  goes,  something  is  found  in  ruins.- 
The  trouble  is,  she  does  not  think  —  she  does 
not  observe — or  else  her  thoughts  and  obser- 
vations are  on  something  besides  what  is  before 
her.  She  does  not  mind  what  she  is  doing — 
she  does  not  look  to  see  what  she  steps  on,  or 
whether  her  hands  have  firm  hold  on  the  article 
she  takes  up.  If  she  passes  through  a  door, 
she  does  not  mind  whether  it  was  open ;  on  a 
warm  summer's  day,  she  will  close  it ;  but  if  she 
finds  it  carefully  shut  on  a  freezing  day  in  mid- 
winter, she  will  leave  it  wide  open. 

By  indulging  such  habits  as  these,  an  ami- 
able girl,  who  may  otherwise  be  beloved,  be- 
comes the  dread  of  all  her  acquaintances. 
6 


62       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


THE  BLACKSMITH'S  BOY. 

Some  years  ago,  we  were  traveling  through 
the  interior  of  Pennsylvania,  and  had  occasion 
to  stop  for  the  night  in  a  small  town.  During 
the  evening  we  went  into  a  store  for  the  pur- 
pose of  purchsing  some  articles  of  which  we 
stood  in  need,  and  whilst  there,  our  attention 
was  attracted  by  a  little  boy  whose  clothes 
wTere  begrimed  with  soot  and  coal  from  work- 
ing in  the  blacksmith's  shop,  (for  he  was  a 
blacksmith's  apprentice.)  He  brought  to  the 
merchant  a  small  hammer  which  he  had  made 
out  of  small  pieces  of  iron  given  to  him  by  his 
master.  Said  he,  "  Sir,  will  you  be  so  kind  as 
to  give  me  a  spelling-book  for  this  hammer  ? 
I  want  to  read,  and  I  have  not  the  monev  to 
buy  a  book."  The  merchant  was  so  pleased 
that  he  gave  him  the  book  and  allowed  him  to 
keep  his  hammer  too.  This  was  an  example 
of  perseverance  worthy  the  imitation  of  every 
boy  in  the  land.  We  took  down  the  name  of 
that  boy  in  our  memorandum  book,  expecting 
to  hear  of  him  again,  and  we  have  heard  of 
him  since,  for  we  were  told  but  lately,  that  he 
has  made  wonderful  proficiency  in  his  studies, 
and  we  believe  that  a  high  position  is  in  re- 
servation for  that  humble  blacksmith's  appren- 
tice, and  those  who  live  long  enough  will  surely 
hear  of  him  in  time  to  come. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        63 


THE  REWARD  OF  DISOBEDIENCE. 

"  It  blew  a  tremendous  gale  last  night,"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Thompson  to  his  son,  as  he  entered 
the  breakfast  room:  "  I  fear  we  shall  hear  that 
it  has  done  great  damage  to  the  shipping." 

"Thomas  has  just  told  me,"  replied  Lewis, 
*'  that  there  are  two  brigs  on  the  sands,  near 
the  Goodwin  Light ;  and  only  think,  papa,  the 
large  vessel  that  sailed  with  the  evening  tide  is 
totally  wrecked.  She,  too,  was  driven  on  the 
sands,  but  succeeded  in  getting  off;  however, 
she  was  so  much  injured  that  before  she  could 
put  back  again  into  the  harbor  she  went  to 
pieces,  and  almost  all  on  board  perished." 

"  Put  on  your  hat,"  said  Mr.  Thompson,  "  we 
will  walk  to  the  pier ;  we  shall  be  back  before 
mother  is  ready  for  breakfast." 

Lewis  readily  obeyed  ;  not  that  it  was  his 
custom  to  do  so,  for,  like  many  other  little  boys, 
he  was  very  headstrong,  and  preferred  his  own 
gratification  to  complying  with  the  wishes  of 
his  parents,  but  curiosity  now  prompted  him, 
and  he  eagerly  accompanied  his  father. 

They  soon  beheld  a  dreadful  spectacle.  The 
sea  was  still  agitated  in  a  frightful  manner,  and 
the  wind  continued  to  blow  verv  strong.  All 
was  bustle  and  anxiety  among  the  sailors  and 
fishermen  ;  and  the  bodies  of  several  persons 
lay  extended  on  the  pier  head.     Lewis  shud- 


64       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

dered.  "  0  pray  let  us  go  back,"  he  exclaim- 
ed. But  before  his  father  could  make  any  re- 
ply, the  attention  of  both  was  attracted  by  the 
piercing  lamentations  of  a  poor  woman  who 
was  kneeling  by  the  side  of  a  boy  apparently 
about  twelve  years  old,  and  wringing  her  hands 
in  an  agony  of  distress. 

"  0,  Ned  !"  she  sobbed,  "  and  is  it  come  to 
this !  0,  he  would  always  have  his  own  way  ;" 
an  expression  which  she  repeated  several  times. 

Mr.  Thompson  turned  to  one  of  the  specta- 
tors, and  asked  the  cause  of  her  words. 

"  Why,  sir,"  replied  the  fisherman  whom  he 
addressed,  "  that  poor  boy  who  lies  there  was 
always  a  sad,  wilful  lad ;  he  was  very  anxious 
to  go  to  sea,  but  neither  his  father  nor  mother 
was  willing,  for  he  was  their  only  child,  and 
not  very  strong  ;  all  they  said,  however,  was 
of  no  use  ;  nay,  perhaps,  it  made  him  still  more 
determined  to  have  his  own  way ;  so  last  night 
he  got  on  board  the  Resolution,  and  sailed  be- 
fore any  one  knew  any  thing  about  the  matter. 
His  mother  was  looking  for  him  the  whole  of 
the  night,  almost  wild  with  distress,  his  dead 
body  has  just  been  hauled  up  with  those  other 
poor  fellows. 

"  Dreadful,"  murmured  Mr.  Thompson. 

Unable  to  endure  the  scene  longer,  Lewis 
grasped  his  father's  hand,  and  drew  him  away. 
He  did  not  attempt  to  speak  a  single  word  as 
they  walked  home;  and  when  seated  at  the 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        65 

•breakfast  table,  his  looks  showed  so  much  dis- 
tress that  his  mother  anxiously  inquired  if  he 
were  unwell?  Lewis  returned  no  answer,  but 
rising  from  the  table,  threw  his  arms  around 
her  neck,  and  for  some  minutes  wept  violently. 
u  0,  mother,"  at  length  he  cried,  "  I  have  seen 
such  a  sight — I  have  heard  such  cries— 0,  I 
shall  never  forget  them  !  forgive  me  for  being 
so  bad  and  obstinate  as  I  have  often  been  ;  and 
never,  never.  I  think,  will  I  disobey  you  again." 

Mrs.  Thompson  looked  at  her  husband  for  an 
explanation,  which  he  in  a  few  words  gave  her. 

"  Thus,"  said  he,  as  he  concluded  his  distress- 
ing narrative,  "  thus  has  God  thought  fit  to 
punish  this  breach  of  his  holy  commandment, 
which  enjoins  us  to  '  honor  our  father  and  mo- 
ther, that  our  days  may  be  long  in  the  land." 
The  sea,  at  his  word,  has  opened  her  mouth, 
and  swallowed  up  the  disobedient  child  almost 
in  sight  of  his  home ;  and  made  his  fate  an  aw- 
ful warning  to  all  who,  like  him,  are  tempted 
to  forget  the  great  and  sacred  duty  they  owe  to 
their  parents." 


66       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


THE  FAINT-HEARTED  YOUTH. 
Chap.  1. —  Can't  is  a  paltry  word  to  use. 

"  What  is  the  matter  now,  Frank  ?"  said  John 
Williams,  seeing  a  boy  next  to  him  crying. 

"  I  can't  do  this  sum,"  he  replied,  looking 
"with  a  dismal  face  at  a  sum  in  multiplication. 

Frank  had  been  gazing  at  it  for  ten  minutes, 
but  he  had  not  made  one  stroke  with  his  pen- 
cil towards  beginning  the  task. 

"  How  do  you  know  you  can't  do  it,"  John 
asked  :  "  why  don't  you  try." 

"  I  know  I  can't ;  there  is  no  use  in  trying : 
see  how  many  figures  there  are  ;  it  is  too  hard 
for  a  little  boy  to  do." 

"  I  shall  not  help  you,  Frank,  I  have  my  own 
lesson  to  learn.     You  had  better  go  to  work." 

Frank  cast  a  glance  at  his  teacher,  and  after 
a  minute's  study  whispered,  "  Tell  me  for  once 
how  much  is  eight  times  seven  ?" 

"  Fifty-six ;  make  haste,  your  turn  comes 
next"  said  John,  as  he  went  with  his  class  to 
recite  his  lesson. 

WThen  Frank  was  called,  his  master  said,  "  I 
shall  punish  you,  not  so  much  for  doing  your 
sum  wrong,  as  for  not  trying  to  do  it." 

"  How  often  Frank  Norris  is  punished,"  said 
one  of  the  boys,  as  they  were  playing  during 
the  recess ;  "  if  I  were  he  I  would  tell  my  fa- 
ther." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        67 

"  It  is  his  own  fault,"  another  observed,  "  he 
won't  try  to  learn." 

Frank  leaned  gloomily  against  the  fence, 
while  the  rest  were  playing.  One  cried  out  to 
him,  "  Frank,  why  don't  you  run  away  V9 

He  replied,  "I  can't." 

They  all  laughed.  "  Come  and  play,  your 
pockets  are  full  of  marbles." 

"  No  i  I  can't  play,"  he  answered. 

"  Get  out  of  our  way  then,"  said  John,  "you 
are  not  good  for  any  thing,  in  school  or  out." 

When  blackberries  were  ripe,  and  the  Mag- 
nolia trees  in  blossom,  the  boys  went  for  a  frolic 
in  the  wroods.  Provided  with  baskets,  the  mer- 
ry party  set  out,  promising  their  mothers  to 
bring  back  fruit  enough  to  keep  them  in  black- 
berry pies  for  a  week.  They  had  not  walked 
far,  when  they  saw  a  large  wagon,  used  for 
hauling  brick,  drawn  by  four  mules.  "That's 
Uncle  Sambo  driving,"  said  Frank  ;  "  I  know 
him. 

"  Then  ask  him  to  give  us  a  ride  in  his  emp- 
ty wagon,"  cried  the  boys. 

Frank  drew  back.  "  No,  I  can't,  there  are 
so  many  of  us." 

But  they  all  shouted,  "  Uncle  Sambo,"  and 
when  he  stopped  they  surrounded  the  wagon  ; 
some  climbed  on  the  wheels,  others  jumped  in 
two  or  three  sprung  on  the  backs  of  the  mules, 
all  so  full  of  fun  that  the  good  natured  driver 
laughed,  as  he  stowed  them  away  some  thing 
as  he  did  his  load  of  bricks. 


68       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

They  soon  reached  Cypress  swamp,  and  fill- 
ed their  baskets  with  fruit.  Then  they  went 
in  search  of  Magnolia  blossoms.  "  Here  is  a 
tree,"  said  John,  "  full  of  flowers.  Frank,  you 
are  nimble,  climb  up  and  pick  them." 

Frank  cast  a  frightened  look  at  the  tall  tree; 
"  it  is  too  high,  I  can't  go  up." 

"  You  need  not  go  to  the  top,  there  are  plen- 
ty of  flowers  on  the  lower  limbs  ;  we  will  help 
you."  So  saying,  John  winked  to  the  others, 
and  before  Frank  knew  it  five  or  six  of  them 
lifted  him;  and  whether  he  would  or  not  he  had 
to  climb  the  tree.  The  first  effort  made,  he 
was  soon  seated  on  one  of  the  branches,  pluck- 
ing and  throwing  down  on  the  heads  of  his 
companions  the  beautiful  flowers. 

"  Well  done  for  Frank,"  said  John,  as  he 
saw  him  descend  the  tree  without  asking  help. 
"  Think  of  the  Magnolia,  next  time  you  have  a 
hard  sum,  and  don't  be  afraid." 

John  and  Frank  remained  at  the  same  school 
several  years  ;  and  though  John  was  often  out 
of  patience  with  the  faint  hearted  boy,  yet  he 
could  not  help  assisting  him  sometimes. 

One  day,  when  Frank  had  been  in  trouble, 
and  his  friend  had  come  to  his  aid,  John  said, 
"  What  will  you  do  when  you  are  older,  and 
have  to  work  for  yourself?  Yqu  will  never 
make  out,  Frank,  unless  you  forget  to  say  / 
canH. 

Frank  sighed  and  said,  "  Yes !"  and  there  it 
ended. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        69 

If  my  young  readers  will  follow  me  in  the 
history  of  these  boys,  they  will  see  the  differ- 
ence between  those  two  expressions,  J  can  and 
/  can't. 

Chap.  II. — Try  is  a  great  word. 

Both  John  and  Frank  were  blest  with  Chris- 
tian parents,  who  endeavored  to  teach  their 
children  how  to  serve  God. 

Frank's  father  saw  the  fault  of  his  son.  He 
knew  that  nothing  but  true  religion  could  give 
that  resolution  and  strong  principle  which  he 
wanted,  and  he  offered  many  prayers  that  God 
would  send  his  blessed  spirit  to  renew  Frank's 
heart.     But  Frank  did  not  pray  for  himself. 

Their  school  boy  years  were  now  ended. 

These  days  of  grammar,  spelling,  books  and 
play,  pass  swiftly.  Happy  is  the  youth  who 
spends  them  wrell,  for  what  a  boy  is  in  the 
school,  he  will  most  likely  be  in  after  life.  A 
lazy,  irreligious  boy,  too  often  becomes  a  vicious 
useless  man. 

John  had  finished  his  school  terms  with  cred- 
it, and  was  prepared  to  enter  college.  Frank, 
who  was  only  a  little  younger,  was  far  behind 
hand  in  his  studies,  though  John  had  tried  hard 
to  encourage  him. 

"  This  is  my  last  week,"  said  John  to  some 
of  his  companions ;  "  the  first  of  next  month  I 
am  off  for  college." 


70       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

«  What  will  you  do  after  that,  John  V9  asked 
a  boy. 

"  Why,  then  I  will  study  medicine  and  be  a 
doctor,  and  ride  in  a  handsome  gig,  with  a  med- 
icine chest." 

"  A  long  road  to  run,  first,"  observed  one  of 
his  friends. 

"  Then  the  sooner  begun  the  better,"  he  re- 
plied. "  Besides,  it  has  been  travelled  before  ; 
what  one  person  has  done  another  can  do." 
Are  you  going  to  college,  Frank  ?" 

"  My  father  says  I  may,"  said  Frank ;  "  he 
said  he  would  work  hard  to  carry  me  through, 
but " 

"  Bat  what,"  said  John,  impatiently. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  can't  get  ready.  Now  don't 
look  so  angry,  John,  I  am  not  as  smart  as  you 
are,  and  when  you  are  gone  who  will  help  me." 

"'  Help  yourself  Frank ;  but  there  is  no  use 
in  talking,  I  have  been  sounding  that  in  your 
ears  this  seven  years." 

When  John  took  leave  of  his  teacher  he  spoke 
to  him  of  Frank.  "  I  can't  help  liking  him, 
though  he  is  so  lazy." 

His  teacher  observed,  "  Frank  is  not  lazy,  he 
is  never  idle,  but  he  wants  resolution ;  the  first 
appearance  of  a  difficulty  frightens  him." 

"  He  was  always  so,"  said  John,  "  he  says  it 
is  natural  to  him.     Is  that  a  good  excuse  sir  1" 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  his  friend ;  "  it  is 
the  very  reason  why  he  should  pray  and  strive 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        71 

against  his  fault.  Had  Frank  begun  earlier,  or 
would  he  begin  even  now  to  resist  this  weak- 
ness, he  would  by  the  help  of  God,  slowly  but 
certainly  overcome  it." 

Frank's  heart  was  so  sad  to  part  with  his 
friend.  He  loved  him,  and  leaned  on  him. 
The  tears  filled  John's  eyes,  when  he  saw 
Frank's  grief. 

"  Make  haste,"  he  said,  "  study  hard,  I  shall 
look  for  you." 

But  he  looked  and  waited  in  vain.  Frank 
was  never  prepared  for  college,  and  as  John 
became  occupied  with  his  studies,  he  forgot  for 
a  time  his  early  friend. 


THE  PARTY. 

'"  Mother  dear,"  said  Susan,  as  she  came  in 
from  the  garden  with  her  face  in  a  fine  glow 
from  excitement  and  exertion,  "  I  have  com- 
pleted my  house.  I  have  the  table  set  up,  and 
all  the  seats  in  order,  and  now  may  I  go  and 
ask  my  company  to  come  V 

"  How  many  do  you  wish  to  invite  ?"  said 
Mrs.  Green. 

"  I  don't  know  ma'am.  I  have  seats  for 
eight.  There  is  Laura,  Isabel,  and  Jane  and 
Eliza  I  must  invite,  for  they  all  invited  me  and 
there  is  Margaret  who  is  a  stranger  almost,  and 


72       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

I  wish  to  invite  her,  and  then  I  must  have 
cousins  Mary,  Eunice  and  Alice  of  course." 

"That  makes  eight.  That  is  a  good  number. 
You  may  go  and  ask  them  to  come  and  see  you 
if  you  choose." 

"  I  should  like  to  invite  one  more,  if  you  have 
no  objection." 

"  1  think  the  number  you  have  named  is 
enough,  and  unless  you  have  some  particular 
reason  for  inviting  more,  I  should  think  you 
had  better  not." 

"  I  have  a  particular  reason,  mother." 

"  Who  is  the  ninth  one  V 

"  Abby  Hurd." 

"  Why  do  you  wish  to  invite  her  ?" 

"  Because — because  she  treated  me  badly,  or 
I  treated  her  badly.  She  ran  away  from  me 
one  day,  and  got  some  of  the  other  girls  to  do 
the  same.  And  then  she  plagued  me,  and  made 
me  angry,  and  I  told  her  [  was  going  to  have 
a  party,  and  that  she  should  not  come  to  it.  I 
am  sorry  I  said  so,  and  I  should  like  to  invite 
her." 

"  I  am  sorry  you  got  angry,  and  am  glad  you 
are  sensible  of  your  fault,  and  are  sorry  for  it, 
and  are  disposed  to  make  reparation  to  the  in- 
jured. Next  to  avoiding  faults,  the  best  thing" 
is  to  confess  and  forsake  them.  You  will  proba- 
bly do  her  good  as  well  as  yourself  by  inviting 
her." 

"  I  wasn't  thinking  about  doing  myself  good." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       73 

"  So  much  the  better,  my  daughter;  the  less 
we  think  of  benefiting  ourselves,  and  the  more 
we  think  of  benefiting  others,  the  more  we  are 
likely  to  benefit  ourselves.  You  may  go  now, 
and  give  your  invitations." 

Susan  took  her  bonnet,  and  set  out  on  her 
pleasing  expedition.  While  she  is  gone,  I  will 
tell  you  about  her  house,  of  which  mention  was 
made  above. 

In  the  grass  plat  at  the  end  of  the  garden, 
there  was  a  clump  of  lilacs  about  twenty  feet 
in  diameter.  Susan's  brother  cut  down  those 
which  stood  in  the  centre,  and  then  bent  the  top 
of  the  remaining  ones  over  the  opening  thus 
made,  and  tied  them  together,  so  as  to  form  a 
roof.  There  was  thus  a  sort  of  room  surround- 
ed and  covered  over  head  with  green  walls. 
Turf  seats  were  then  made,  and  a  box  placed 
inlhe  centre  for  a  table.  Susan's  house  was 
thus  in  order  for  company.  Her  brother,  who 
was  a  little  older  than  Susan,  having  finished 
the  house  to  her  satisfaction,  went  to  help  his 
father  in  the  hay  field. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  the  company  came; 
all  who  were  named  above  were  there,  except 
cousin  Eunice,  who  was  obliged  to  stay  at  home 
to  assist  her  mother.  After  expressing  their 
admiration  of  Susan's  house,  and  seating  them- 
selves on  the  turf  seats,  which  were  declared  to 
be  far  superior  to  spring-seat  rocking  chairs,  it 
was  proposed  that  an  excursion  be  made  to  a 
7 


74       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

neighboring  meadow  for  strawberries.  On  the 
way,  Abby  fell  out  with  one  of  the  girls,  and  it 
was  with  great  difficulty  that  Susan  succeeded 
in  restoring  them  to  good  humor.  They  came 
to  a  place  where  strawberries  were  very  abun- 
dant, and  they  were  very  busy  with  their  heads 
down,  and  their  sunbonnets  over  their  faces. 
Suddenly  they  were  startled  by  a  scream  from 
Abby  who  was  a  few  rods  distant  from  the  rest. 
She  thought  she  had  found  "  the  thickest  spot," 
and  in  her  selfishness,  she  would  not  call  the 
other  girls  to  share  with  her.  Suddenly  she 
received  a  heavy  blow  on  her  back  which  over- 
threw her  and  caused  her  to  utter  a  loud  scream. 
The  girls  looked  up,  and  saw  a  large  sheep, 
which  had  been  brought  up  by  hand,  and  was 
very  tame,  standing  beside  her,  and  looking  up- 
on her,  as  she  lay  screaming  in  the  grass. 

"  What  is  the  matter,"  said  one  of  the  girls. 

"  It  is  only  Tom,"  said  Susan  "  She  need 
not  be  afraid  of  him.  He  goes  everywhere, 
and  never  hurts  any  body.  Tommy,  Tommy, 
Tommy." 

"  Baa,"  said  the  sheep,  and  he  set  out  upon 
a  run  to  come  to  Susan.  The  other  girls  soon 
scampered  in  all  directions,  but.  Susan  stood 
still,  and  let  him  come  up  and  lick  her  hand. 

By  degrees,  the  girls  overcame  their  fears, 
and  came  back.  The  sheep  kept  with  them 
during  their  stay  in  the  meadow,  and  conducted 
himself  with  great  propriety.     When  they  went 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        75 

to  the  house,  he  went  with  them ;  and  wished 
very  much  to  enter  the  garden  with  them,  and 
would  have  been  allowed  to  do  so,  but  for  Ab- 
by.  She  protested  against  it,  and  was  half  in- 
clined to  believe  that  he  had  been  told  to  as- 
sault her  by  Susan  or  some  of  the  other  giris. 
This  certainly  was  not  the  case,  and  why  he 
made  the  assault  is  not  known.  All  enjoyed 
themselves  very  much,  except  Abby. 

When  they  were  gone  home,  Susan  gave  to 
her  mother  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  afternoon  had  passed,  repeating  a  remark 
of  one  of  the  girls,  that  "  she  had  gained  noth- 
ing by  inviting  Abby." 

"  She  is  mistaken,"  said  Mrs.  Green,  "  I  think 
you  have  gained  much,  rou  set  a  good  exam- 
ple, you  gained  in  some  measure  a  victory  over 
yourself.  You  have  been  happier  than  you 
would  have  been  if  you  hed  persevered  in  your 
threat  not  to  invite  her.  Even  if  you  had  gain- 
ed nothing  by  it,  it  is  enough  that  you  have 
done  right" 


76       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

A  LESSON. 

I'll  teach  thee  a  lesson, 

Be  active  and  wise, 
The  deeper  the  valley, 

The  brighter  the  skies; 
The  harder  the  labor, 

More  weary  the  breast, 
The  sweeter  the  slumber, 

When  the  pillow  is  pressed. 

When  the  fierce  storm  approaches, 

Unbend  to  the  blast; 
Unyielding,  look  upward, 

Till  the  whirlwind  has  passed; 
The  firm  and  unshaken, 

Who  never  despair, 
The  seal  of  true  greatness, 
.    Forever  shall  wear. 


A  FOREST  FUNERAL 

We  had  one  long  and  weary  and  somewhat 
unsuccessful  expedition  last  fall.  We  made 
our  calculations  to  go  through  the  whole  hunt- 
ing district  in  the  course  of  six  days,  and  reach 
the  river,  ten  miles  below  our  cabin,  on  Satur- 
day, so  that  we  might  attend  church  there — or 
rather,  hear  preaching,  in  a  log  school-house, 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        77 

from  a  clergyman  who  once  a  month  visited 
the  small  settlement.  We  worked  hard  during 
the  week,  and  were  not  sorry,  at  dusk  on  Satur- 
day, to  sit  down  in  the  comfortable  frame  house 
of  Col. ,  who  is  the  owner  of  some  thou- 
sands of  acres  in  that  immediate  vicinity.  The 
school-house  in  which  services  were  to  be  held, 
is  beautifully  situated,  in  a  grove  of  oaks,  on  a 
point  around  which  the  river  bends  and  runs 
rapidly,  with  a  lulling  sound.  Did  you  ever 
notice  how  different  the  voice  of  a  river  is  in 
passing  different  scenes?  Up  in  the  gorge  above, 
it  is  wild,  and  rages  as  if  angry  with  the  rocks 
it  meets,  and  its  voice  is  like  the  voice  of  a 
roused  warrior.  But  here  it  goes  slowly  and 
sedately  by  the  little  "  oak  school-house,"  as  it 
is  called,  and  would  seem  to  linger,  as  if  loving 
the  quiet  scene. 

It  was   nearly  midnight  of  Saturday  night 

that  a  messenger  came  to  Col. ,  requesting 

him  to  go  to  the  cabin  of  a  settler,  some  three 
miles  down  the  river,  and  see  his  daughter,  a 
girl  of  fourteen,  who  was  supposed  to  be  d\ing. 
Col. awoke  me,  and  asked  me  to  accom- 
pany him,  and  I  consented,  taking  with  me  the 
small  package  of  medicines  which  I  always  car- 
ried in  the  forest.  But  I  learned  soon  that 
there  was  no  need  of  these,  for  her  disease  was 
past  cure. 

Leaving  the  house,  we  descended  to  the  bank 

of  the  river,  and  stepped  into  the  canoe  that  lay 

»7# 


78       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

in  an  eddy,  and  seizing  a  pole,  flattened  at  one 

end  for  a  paddle,  Col. ■  pushed  the  slight 

vessel  out  into  the  current,  and  we  shot  swiftly 
down.  I  have  described  so  many  night  scenes, 
that  I  forbear  giving  you  this.  You  may  im- 
agine the  scene  if  you  choose,  as  I  lay  in  the 
bottom,  and  he  used  now  his  pole  and  now  his 
paddle,  to  guide  the  bark  in  the  rapids. 

"  She  is  a  strange  child,"  said  the  Colonel ; 
"  her  father  is  as  strange  a  man.  They  live  to- 
gether alone  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  They 
came  here  three  years  ago,  and  no  one  knowrs 
whence,  or  why.  He  has  money,  and  is  a  keen 
shot.  The  child  has  been  wasting  away  for  a 
year  past.  I  have  seen  her  often,  and  she  seems 
gifted  with  a  marvellous  intellect.  She  speaks 
sometimes  as  if  inspired ;  and  she  seems  to  be 
the  only  hope  of  her  father." 

We  reached  the  hut  of  the  settler  in  less  than 
half  an  hour,  and  entered  it  reverently. 

The  scene  was  one  that  cannot  easily  be  for- 
gotten. There  were  books  and  evidences  of 
luxury  and  taste  lying  on  the  rude  table  in  the 
centre.  A  guitar  lay  on  the  bench  near  the 
small  window,  and  the  bed  furniture,  on  which 
the  dying  girl  lay,  was  as  soft  as  the  covering 
of  a  dying  queen.  I  was,  of  course,  startled, 
never  having  heard  of  these  people  before ;  but 
knowing  it  to  be  no  uncommon  thing  for  mis- 
anthropes to  go  into  the  woods  to  live  and  die, 
I  was  content  to  ask  no  explanations,  more  es- 
pecially as  the  death  hour  was  evidently  near* 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.       79 

She  was  a  fair  child,  with  masses  of  long 
black  hair  lying  over  her  pillow.  Her  eye  was 
dark  and  piercing,  and  as  it  met  mine,  she  start- 
ed slightly,  but  smiled  and  looked  upward.  I 
spoke  9  few  words  to  her,  asked  her  if  she  knew 
her  condition. 

"I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,"  said  she, 
in  a  "voice  whose  melody  was  like  the  sweetest 
strain  of  an  iEolian.  You  may  imagine  that 
the  answer  startled  me,  and  with  a  few  words 
of  like  import,  I  turned  from  her.  A  half  hour 
passed,  and  she  spoke  in  that  same  deep,  richly 
melodious  voice  : 

"  Father,  I  am  cold  ;  lie  down  beside  me ;  " 
and  the  old  man  lay  down  by  his  dying  child, 
and  she  twined  her  emaciated  arms  around  his 
neck,  and  murmured  in  a  dreamy  voice,  "  Dear 
father,  dear  father." 

"My  child,"  said  the  old  man,  "doth  the 
flood  seem  deep  to  thee?  " 

"  Nay,  father,  for  my  soul  is  strong." 

"  Seest  thou  the  farther  shore?  " 

"I  see  it,  father;  and  its  banks  are  green 
with  immortal  verdure." 

"  Hearest  thou  the  voices  of  its  inhabitants?" 

"  I  hear  them,  father,  as  the  voice  of  angels 
-  •    -         • 
falling  from  afar,  in  the  still  and  solemn  night 

time.  And  they  call  me.  Her  voice,|too,  fa- 
ther; oh,  I  heard  it  then." 

"  Doth  she  speak  to  thee?  " 

"An  angel  smile.  But  a  cold,  calm  smile. 
But  I  am  cold,  cold,  cold !    Father,  there's  a 


80        SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

mist  in  the  room.  You'll  be  lonely,  lonely, 
lonely.     Is  this  death,  father?  " 

"  It  is  death,  my  Mary." 

"  Thank  God." 

I  stepped  out  into  the  night,  and  stood  long 
and  silently  looking;  at  the  rushing  river.  The 
wife  of  a  settler  arrived  soon  after,  and  then  the 
Colonel's  excellent  lady  and  her  daughter,  and 
we  left  the  cabin. 

The  sabbath  morning  broke  over  the  eastern 
hills  before  we  reached  the  school-house  again; 
but  never  came  sabbath  light  so  solemnly  be- 
fore. The  morning  service  in  the  school-house 
I  have  not  room  to  describe  now,  for  I  have 
taken  more  time  and  space  than  I  had  any  idea  of. 

As  evening  approached,  a  slow  and  sad  pro- 
cession came  through  the  forest  to  the  little 
school-house.  There,  with  simple  rites,  the 
good  clergyman  performed  his  duty,  and  we 
went  to  the   grave.     It  was  in  the  inclosure 

where  two  of  Col. 's  children  lie,  a  lovely 

spot.  The  sun  was  setting  as  we  entered  the 
grove.  The  procession  was  short.  They  were 
hardy  men,  and  rough,  in  shooting  jackets,  and 
some  with  rifles  on  their  shoulders.  But  their 
warm  hearts  gave  beauty  to  their  unshaken 
faces,  as  they  stood  in  reverent  silence  by  the 
grave.  The  river  murmured  and  the  birds  sang, 
and  so  we  buried  her. 

I  saw  the  sun  go  down  from  the  same  spot, 
and  the  stars  were  bright  before  I  left  it,  for  I 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


81 


have  always  had  an  idea  that  the  grave-yard 
was  the  nearest  place  to  heaven  on  this  earth ; 
and  with  old  Sir  Thomas  Browne,  I  love  to  see 
a  church  in  a  grave-yard,  for  even  as  we  pass 
through  the  place  ot"  graves  to  the  temple  of 
God  on  earth,  so  we  must  pass  through  the 
grave  to  the  temple  of  God  on  high. 


82       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


THE  FISHERMAN. 

I  was  some  time  since  walking  upon  the 
wharf  where  a  fishing  boat  lay,  and  as  I  was 
passing  and  repassing,  the  master  was  uttering 
the  most  tremendous  oaths.  At  length  I  turned 
to  him,  and  standing  beside  his  boat,  said — 

"  Sir,  I  am  unacquainted  with  your  business. 
What  kind  o*f  fishes  are  these?  " 

He  replied,  "  They  are  cod-fish." 

"  How  long  are  you  usually  out  in  order  to 
obtain  your  load?  " 

"  Two  or  three  weeks,"  was  the  answer. 

"At  what  price  do  you  sell  them?  " 

He  informed  me. 

"  Well,  have  you  not  hard  work  to  obtain  a 
living  in  this  way?  " 

"  Yes,  hard  work,"  said  he. 

1  inquired,  "  With  what  do  you  bait  these 
fish?  " 

"  With  clams." 

"  Did  you  ever  catch  mackerel?  " 

«  Yes." 

"And  I  suppose  you  bait  them  with  clams, 
too?  " 

"  0,  no,"  said  he,  "  they  will  not  bite  at 
clams." 

"  Then  you  must  have  different  kinds  of  bait 
for  different  sorts  of  fish?  " 

"  Yes." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        83 

"  Well,  now,  did  you  ever  catch  a  fish  with- 
out any  bait?  " 

"  Yes,  said  he,  "  I  was  out  last  year,  and  one 
day  when  I  was  fixing  my  line,  my  hook  fell 
into  the  water,  and  the  fool  took  hold  of  it,  and 
I  drew  him  in." 

"  Now,  sir,"  said  I,  "  I  have  often  thought 
that  Satan  was  very  much  like  a  fisherman. 
He  always  baits  his  hook  with  that  kind  of  bait 
which  different  sorts  of  sinners  like  best ;  but 
when  he  would  catch  a  profane  swearer,  he  does 
not  take  the  trouble  to  put  on  any  bait  at  all, 
for  the  fool  will  always  bite  at  the  bare  hook." 

He  was  silent.  His  countenance  was  solemn, 
and  after  a  moment's  pause,  as  I  turned  to  go 
away,  I  heard  him  say  to  one  standing  by  him, 
"  I  guess  that's  a  minister." 


A  STORY  WITH  A  MORAL. 
A  black  snake  which  had  discovered  the  nest 
of  a  woodpecker,  climbed  up  the  tree,  and  put- 
ting his  head  into  the  hole,  swallowed  the  wood- 
pecker. Alas  !  when  he  would  have  with- 
drawn, he  found  his  throat  so  much  distended 
by  his  supper  that  he  could  not  get  back ;  and 
so  he  died  with  his  length  exposed,  dangling 
from  the  woodpecker's  hole,  an  admonition  to 
all  who  passed  by,  not  to  get  into  a  scrape,  un- 
til they  had  contrived  how  to  get  out  of  it. 


82       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN, 


THE  DESTROYER. 

I  saw  a  temple  reared  by  the  hands  of  men, 
standing  with  its  high  pinnacles  in  the  distant 
plain.  The  streams  beat  upon  it;  the  God  of 
nature  hurled  his  thunderbolts  against  it;  and 
yet  it  stood  firm  as  adamant.  Revelry  was  in 
its  halls ;  the  gay,  the  beautiful  were  there. 

I  returned,  and  the  temple  was  not  there.  Its 
high  walls  lay  scattered  in  ruins;  moss  and 
wild  grass  grew  wildly  there. 

The  young  and  the  gay  who  revelled  there 
had  all  passed  away. 

I  saw  a  child  rejoicing  in  its  youth,  the  idol 
of  its  mother,  and  the  only  pride  of  his  father. 

I  returned,  and  the  child  had  become  old. 
Trembling  with  the  weight  of  years,  he  stood  the 
last  of  his  generation,  a  stranger  amidst  the 
desolation  around  him. 

I  saw  an  old  oak  stand  in  all  its  pride  on  the 
mountains — the  birds  were  carolling  on  its 
boughs. 

I  returned ;  the  old  oak  was  leafless  and  sap- 
less ;  the  winds  were  playing  at  their  pastimes 
through  its  boughs, 

"  Who  is  the  destroyer?  "  said  I  to  my  guar- 
dian angel. 

"  It  is  Time,"  said  he,  "  when  the  morning 
stars  sang  together  in  joy,  over  the  new  made 
world,  he  commenced  his  course,  and  when  he 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        85 

shall  have  destroyed  all  that  is  beautiful  on  earth, 
plucked  the  sun  from  his  sphere  —  veiled  the 
moon  in  blood ;  yea,  when  he  shall  have  rolled 
heaven  and  earth  away  as  a  scroll,  then  shall 
an  angel  from  the  throne  of  God  come  forth, 
and  with  one  foot  on  the  sea,  and  one  on  the 
land,  lift  up  his  hand  toward  heaven,  and  swear 
by  Heaven  eternal,  "Time  is,  Time  was,  but 
Time  shall  be  no  more!" 


THE  DISAPPOINTMENT. 

One  pleasant  morning,  quite  late  in  the  sun> 
mer,  Charlie  wished  very  much  to  go  out  on  an 
expedition,  with  his  brother  Albert,  and  some 
of  his  school-mates.  It  was  vacation,  and  the 
excursion  had  been  planned  a  number  of  days 
before.  They  were  to  ramble  about  in  the 
woods,  and  fields,  and  each  carried  a  little  bas- 
ket to  put  their  berries  in.  Charlie  looked 
much  disappointed,  when  he  found  that  he  could 
not  get  permission  to  join  the  merry  party.  He 
had  been  unwell,  and  his  father  did  not  think 
him  strong  enough. 

"  Why,  father,"  he  said  in  a  tone  of  remon- 
strance, "  I  am  very  strong  now.     I  wheeled 
my  wheelbarrow  full  of  chips  to  the  barn  twice 
this  morning." 
8 


86       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  Yes,"  said  his  father,  "  you  are  stronger 
than  you  were  a  week  ago,  but  not  strong 
enough  to  run  about  and  play  hard,  five  or  six 
hours." 

"  I  think  I  am  father.     I  don't  feel  tired  any." 

His  father  seemed  a  litttle  disconcerted,  and 
said,  half  aloud,  "  I  had  better  have  said  noth- 
ing about  the  reason,  why  I  wished  you  to  re- 
main at  home." 

The  little  boy  looked  perplexed,  and  said  in 
a  surprised  tone  of  voice, 

"  I  don't  see  why,  I  am  sure." 

"  Why,  your  mind  is  now  employed  in  try- 
ing to  destroy  the  force  of  my  reason,  when 
you  ought  to  be  trying  to  obey  me  willingly 
and  cheerfully." 

Charlie's  countenance  wore  a  thoughtful  ex- 
pression as  his  father  spoke.  He  had  been  get- 
ting considerably  out  of  humor,  but  he  began 
to  think  that  this  would  be  both  foolish  and 
wrong.  He  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then 
said,  "  Well,  father,  I  will  try  to  bear  it  pa- 
tiently." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,"  said 
his  father,  "  and  I  will  tell  you  how  you  can 
easily  succeed.  Try  to  stop  thinking  of  the  ex- 
pedition altogether,  and  employ  yourself  about 
something  that  will  please  and  interest  you." 

Charlie  resolved  to  follow  his  father's  direc- 
tions, and  in  doing  so,  he  soon  became  cheerful 
and  happy. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        87 


MY  BOYHOOD'S  DAYS. 

My  boyhood's  days,  how  bright  they  s-eem, 

How  happy  too  and  gay; 
Alas!  what  changes  there  have  been 

Since  ihey  have  pass'd  away ! 
For  then  I  knew  no  anxious  thought, 

No  trouble  filled  my  breast; 
Each  day  its  round  of  pleasure  brought, 

Each  night  its  peaceful  rest. 

Since  then  my  mates  once  kind  to  me, 

Alas!  have  turned  to  men; 
And  now  no  happiness  they  see, 

In  what  was  pleasing  then! 
Their  childish  sports  remembered  not, 

They  play  another  game; 
The  prize  they  sought  in  youth  forgot, 

They  struggle  now  for  fame. 

Alas !  for  us  when  youth  is  past, 

'Twill  ne'er  return  again, — 
Then  we  must  all  submit  at  last 

To  live  like  other  men. 
Still  let  us  hope,  that  when  we  die 

We'll  leave  this  world  of  pain, 
And  soar  to  realms  above  the  sky, 

In  happy  youth  again. 


88       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


TARDINESS. 

One  day  as  Albert  and  Joseph  Page  were 
walking  along  on  their  way  to  school,  they  ob- 
served upon  one  side  of  the  road  a. fine  looking 
black  dog.  It  was  a  hound,  and  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  his  species. 

"  What  a  splendid  creature,"  said  Albert, 
and  he  went  towards  him,  and  smoothed  his 
glossy  coat,  the  dog  all  the  while  rubbing 
against  him,  and  seeming  much  pleased  with 
his  attentions. 

"  He  is  a  fine  dog  certainly,"  said  Joseph, 
"  one  of  the  finest  I  ever  saw." 

"  Yes,  that  he  is,"  said  Albert,  "  I  wonder 
who  owns  him.  But  come,  let  us  have  some 
good  play  with  him." 

"  We  must  not  stop  any  longer  now,"  said 
Joseph,  "  we  have  only  time  to  get  to  school  in 
season." 

"  There  is  no  hurry  about  it.  We  can  play 
a  minute  or  two,  and  then  run  to  school." 

"No,"  said  Joseph,  "it  does  not  want  quite 
five  minutes  of  nine,  and  I  am  going  along. 
Come,  if  you  do  not  go  with  me,  1  fear  you  will 
be  late." 

"  No  danger,"  said  Albert,  "  I  will  run  at 
the  first  stroke  of  the  clock.  I  can  get  there 
in  two  minutes."     The  scholars  were  allowed 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        89 

five  minutes  after  the  striking  of  the  clock  to 
assemble.  Then  the  teacher  fastened  the  door 
and  no  one  was  allowed  to  enter. 

So  Joseph  walked  on  toward  the  school- 
hcuse,  while  Albert  remained  playing  with  the 
dog,  till  he  was  startled  by  the  village  clock 
striking  nine.  He  then  began  to  hasten  to 
school,  but  had  not  advanced  more  than  halfway, 
when  he  heard  a  cry  wmich  seemed  to  come 
from  a  neighboring  field.  He  looked  over  the 
wall  which  separated  it  from  the  road,  and  saw 
little  Willie  Hall  lying  flat  upon  his  face. 
Climbing  as  quickly  as  possible  over  the  wall, 
he  helped  the  little  boy  up,  and  found  that  his 
hands  were  badly  cut  by  some  loose  stones 
upon  which  he  had  fallen.  He  soothed  him  as 
well  as  he  was  able,  and  then  went  with  him  to 
his  father's  house.  All  this,  occupied  consid- 
erable time,  and  when  he  entered  the  school- 
house  entry,  and  tried  the  door  which  led  to  the 
school  room,  he  found  that  it  was  fastened. 

Albert  felt  rather  sad  at  being  shut  out  from 
school,  on  account  of  tardiness.  He  could  not 
help  thinking  that  it  would  not  have  happened 
had  he  left  playing  with  the  dog  at  the  proper 
time.  He  did  not  like  to  tell  his  father  exactly 
how  his  trouble  had  arisen.  He  once  thought 
of  saying  that  helping  Willie  Hall  had  been  the 
occasion  of  his  being  late  at  school,  but  some- 
how he  could  not  make  this  seem  right.  It  was 
kind  to  help  the  little  boy,  but  the  real  cause  of 
Albert's  being  late,  was  playing  too  long  with 
the  dog.     The  kindness  did  not  alter  this  fault. 


90       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


HOW  A  ROGUE  FEELS  WHEN  CAUGHT. 

Theodore  Thinker  tells  us  that  he  does  not 
know  of  any  thing  calculated  to  make  a  boy 
feel  more  foolish,  than  to  be  detected  in  a  mis- 
chievous action.  He  says,  suppose  we  let  him 
tell  his  own  story — "  When  I  was  a  little  boy, 
as  near  as  I  can  recollect  about  nine  years  of 
age,  I  went  with  my  brother  one  bright  Satur- 
day afternoon,  when  there  was  no  school,  to 
visit  at  the  house  of  Captain  Perry.  The  Cap- 
tain wTas  esteemed  one  of  the  kindest  and  best 
natured  neighbors  in  Willow  Lane,  where  my 
father  lived;  and  Julian  the  captain's  eldest 
son,  very  near  my  own  age,  was  among  all  the 
boys  at  school,  my  favorite  play-fellow.  Cap- 
tain Perry  had  two  bee  hives  in  his  garden, 
where  we  were  all  three  at  play ;  and  as  1 
watched  the  busy  little  fellows  at  their  work, 
bringing  in  honey  from  their  fields,  all  at  once 
I  thought  it  would  be  a  very  fine  thing  to  thrust 
a  stick  into  the  hole,  which  I  saw  in  one  of  the 
hives,  and  bring  out  some  of  the  honey.  My 
brother  and  Julian  did  not  quite  agree  with  me 
in  this  matter.  They  thought,  as  nearly  as  1 
can  recollect,  that  there  was  three  good  reasons 
against  this  mode  of  obtaining  honey ;  first,  I 
should  be  likely  to  get  pretty  badly  stung ;  se- 
condly, the  act  would  be  a  very  mean  and  cow- 
ardly piece  of  mischief;  and  thirdly  I  should 
be  found  out." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        91 

"  Still  I  was  bent  on  the  chivalrous  under- 
taking. I  procured  a  stick  of  the  right  size, 
and  marched  up  to  make  the  attack.  While  I 
was  deliberating,  with  the  stick  already  a  little 
in  the  hole,  whether  I  had  better  thrust  it  in 
suddenly,  and  then  scamper  away  as  fast  as  my 
legs  could  carry  me,  or  proceed  so  deliberately 
that  the  bees  would  not  suspect  what  was  the 
matter,  Captain  Perry  happened  to  come  into 
the  garden ;  and  I  was  so  busy  with  my  mis- 
chief, that  I  did  not  notice  him  until  he  advanced 
within  a  rod  or  two  of  >the  bee  hives.  He  sus- 
pected what  I  was  about.  "  Theodore,"  said 
he;  I  looked  arounch  I  am  sure  I  would  have 
given  all  I  was  worth  in  the  world,  not  except- 
ing my  little  pony,  which  I  regarded  as  a  for- 
tune, if,  by  some  magic  or  other,  It  could  have 
got  out  of  this  scrape.  But  it  was  too  late.  I 
hung  my  head  down,  as  may  be  imagined,  while 
Ihe  captain  went  on  with  his  speech:  "Theodore, 
if  I  w7ere  in  your  place,  (I  heartily  wished  he 
was  in  my  place,  but  I  did  not  say  so;  I  said  no- 
thing in  fact,)  if  I  were  in  your  place,  I  would 
not  disturb  those  poor,  harmless  bees,  in  that 
way.  If  you  should  put  that  stick  into  the 
hive,  as  you  were  thinking  of  doing,  it  would 
take  the  bees  a  whole  week  to  mend  up  their 
cells.  That  is  not  the  wTay  we  get  honey.  I 
don't  wonder  you  are  fond  of  honey  though  : 
children  generally  are  fond  of  it ;  and  if  you 
will  go  into  the  house,  Mrs.  Perry  will  give  you 
as  much  as  you  wish,  I  am  sure." 


92       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  This  was  twenty  years  ago,  perhaps  more. 
I  have  met  Captain  Perry  a  hundred  times  since. 
Indeed  I  shook  his  hand  last  summer,  for  he  is 
still  living,  the  same  warm  hearted,  hard-work- 
ing farmer ;  yet  even  now  I  cannot  look  upon 
his  frank,  honest  countenance,  but  I  distinctly 
call  to  mind  the  Quixotic  adventure  with  the 
bees,  and  I  feel  almost  as  shamed  as  I  did  when 
I  was  detected. 


THE  FLY. 

My  merry  little  fly,  stay  here, 

And  let  me  look  at  you; 
I  will  not  touch  you  though  you're  near, 

As  cruel  children  do. 

I  see  you  spread  your  pretty  wings, 

That  sparkle  in  the  sun, 
I  see  your  legs,  what  tiny  things! 

And  yet  how  fast  they  run. 

You  walk  along  (he  ceiling  now, 

And  down  the  upright  wall; 
I'll  ask  aunt  Jane  to  tell  me  how 

You  walk  and  do  not  fall, 

'Twas  God  that  taught  you  little  fly, 

To  walk  along  the  ground, 
And  mount  above  my  head  so  high, 

And  frolic  round  and  round. 

I'll  near  you  stand  to  see  your  play, 

But  do  not  be  afraid; 
I  would  not  lift  my  little  hand, 

To  hurt  the  thing  He  made. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        93 


THE  BEST  BOY  IN  SCHOOL. 

When  George  returned  from  school,  he  ran 
to  his  mother,  exclaiming  with  a  tone  of  exul- 
tation, "  Only  two  more  days,  mother.  I  have 
not  had  a  single  mark  for  bad  conduct,  and  I 
have  had  more  good  marks  for  perfect  recita- 
tions, than  any  boy  in  school.  In  two  more 
days  the  month  will  be  out." 

George  expected  his  mother  to  be  as  delight- 
ed as  himself;  but  for  a  moment  she  looked 
grave,  and  seemed  to  be  thinking.  At  length 
she  said,  "  I  am  always  glad  when  you  have 
done  well  at  school ;  but  I  do  not  know  that  I 
ought  to  be  particularly  glad  because  you  have 
done  better  than  any  other  boy.  You  read  this 
morning  the  account  of  the  Pharisee  who  thank- 
ed God  that  he  wTas  better  than  other  men  ;  you 
know  that  God  w?as  not  pleased  with  him.  We 
may  thank  God  for  keeping  us  from  sin,  but 
we  must  wish  and  pray  that  all  other  men  may 
be  kept  also." 

"  But  is  it  wrong,  mother,  to  wish  to  be 
praised  ?     You  very  often  praise  me." 

"  0  no,  it  is  right  to  love  praise ;  but  we 
must  not  do  right  merely  for  the  sake  of  being 
praised.  If  praise  is  all  we  wish  for,  we  shall 
be  likely  to  neglect  our  duty,  and  do  very 
wrong  things  when  we  have  nobody  to  praise 


94       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

or  blame  us.  There  are  bad  people  in  the 
world,  who  would  praise  you  for  doing  wrong  ; 
and  it  is  often  love  of  praise  which  leads  per- 
sons to  commit  great  sins." 

"  So  it  is,"  said  his  mother ;  "  but  I  can  tell 
you  a  motive  which  will  always  make  us  hap- 
py when  we  have  done  what  is  worthy  of 
praise,  even  if  no  person  in  the  world  should 
know  it — and  this  is,  the  desire  to  please  God. 
He  always  knows  our  motives,  and  when  he 
sees  that  we  do  right  for  the  sake  of  pleasing 
him,  he  looks  upon  us  with  favor.  This  thought 
will  make  us  happy,  even  if  all  the  world  blame 
us.  Sometimes,  you  know,  people  are  blamed 
for  doing  right ;  but  that  will  not  make  them 
very  unhappy,  if  they  only  remember  that  God 
who  looks  upon  the  heart,  is  pleased  with  their 
conduct." 

"  I  should  think  it  was  very  hard,"  said 
George,  "  to  be  blamed  for  doing  right." 

"  True,  it  is  not  pleasant  but  we  must  not 
mind  it.  If  a  bad  boy  should  blame  you  for 
wishing  to  please  your  father  and  mother,  I 
hope  you  would  care  but  little  for  it." 

"  I  do  not  like  to  be  laughed  at,"  said 
George. 

"  Neither  do  I,"  said  his  mother,  "  nor  does 
any  one ;  and  we  should  avoid  doing  things 
which  are  in  themselves  ridiculous ;  but  when 
any  evil-minded  person  laughs  at  us  for  doing 
right,  we  must  still  do  our  duty  in  spite  of  their 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        95 

laughing.  If  we  have  right  feelings,  we  shall 
often  feel  happy  in  suffering  for  doing  our  duty. 
This  is  what  the  Bible  means  when  it  says, 
*  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you  and 
persecute  you,  and  say  all  manner  of  evil 
against  you  falsely  for  my  sake.'  Blessed, 
means  happy,  and  our  Saviour  calls  them  hap- 
py who  suffer  for  doing  right.  So  we  must 
always  do  as  God  commands,  whether  persons 
praise  or  blame  us,  and  even  if  they  treat  us 
very  ill.  Tn  all  things  we  must  seek  the  praise 
of  God  more  than  the  praise  of  men.  When- 
ever we  feel  it  hard  to  be  blamed  for  doing 
right,  we  must  think  of  the  Divine  Saviour,  who 
all  his  life  was  blameless  and  perfect,  and  who 
yet  was  reviled  and  persecuted,  and  even  put 
to  a  cruel  death,  for  teaching  men  how  they 
might  be  saved  from  their  sins.  If  Christ  had 
not  died  for  us,  we  must  all  have  been  misera- 
ble for  ever.  Shall  we  then  think  it  hard  to 
suffer  a  little  blame  or  ridicule  for  the  sake  of 
pleasing  him  ?  We  must  ask  God  for  his  sake, 
to  deliver  us  from  the  fear  of  man,  which  bring- 
eth  a  snare." 

George  sat  for  some  time,  thinking  very  se- 
riously of  what  his  mother  had  said,  and  then, 
taking  his  little  brother  and  sister  into  the  gar- 
den, to  relieve  his  mother  from  care,  he  devot- 
ed himself  very  kindly  and  patiently  to  their 
amusement  until  dinner  time. 


96       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


BE  KIND  TO  EACH  OTHER. 
Be  kind  to  each  other! 

The  night's  coming1  on, 
When  friend  and  when  brother 

Perchance  may  be  gone! 
Then,  midst  our  dejeclion, 

How  sweet  to  have  earned 
The  blest  recollection 

Of  kindness  returned! 

When  day  hath  departed, 

And  memory  keeps 
Her  watch,  broken  hearted, 

Where  all  she  loved  sleeps, 
Let  falsehood  assail  not, 

Nor  envy  reprove; 
Let  trifles  prevail  not, 

Against  those  ye  love. 

Nor  change  with  to-morrow, 

Should  fortune  take  wing, 
But  the  deeper  the  sorrow, 

The  closer  still  cling! 
0,  be  kind  to  each  other! 

The  night's  coming  on, 
When  friend  and  when  brother 

Perchance  may  be  gone ! 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        97 


PLEASANT  INCIDENT. 

A  very  pleasant  incident  occurred  in  one  of 
our  public  schools,  a  day  or  two  since.  It 
seems  that  the  boys  attending  the  school,  of  the 
average  age  of  seven  years,  had,  in  their  play 
of  bat  and  ball,  broken  one  of  the  neighbor's 
windows ;  but  no  clue  to  the  offender  could  be 
obtained,  as  he  would  not  confess,  nor  would 
any  of  his  associates  expose  him. 

The  case  troubled  the  teacher,  and  on  the  oc- 
casion of  one  of  our  citizens  visiting  the  school, 
she  privately  and  briefly  stated  the  circumstances, 
and  wished  him,  in  some  remarks  to  the  school, 
to  advert  to  the  principle  involved  in  the  case. 

The  address  to  the  school  had  reference  prin- 
cipally to  the  conduct  of  boys  in  the  streets  and 
at  their  sports — to  the  principles  of  rectitude  and 
kindness  which  should  govern  them  everywhere, 
even  when  alone,  and  when  they  thought  no  eye 
could  see,  and  there  was  no  one  present  to  ob- 
serve. The  scholars  seemed  deeply  interested 
in  the  remarks. 

A  very  short  time  after  the  visitor  left  the 
school,  a  little  boy  arost  in  his  seat,  and  said  : 

"Miss  L ,  I  batted  the  ball  that  broke 

Mr. 's   window.     Another  boy  threw  the 

ball,  but  I  batted  it,  and  struck  the  window.    I 
ana  willing  to  pay  for  it." 
9 


98       SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

There  was  a  death-like  silence  in  the  school 
as  the  boy  was  speaking,  and  it  continued  a 
minute  after  he  had  closed. 

"  But  it  won't  be  right  for to  pay  the 

whole  for  the  glass,"  said  another  boy,  rising 
in  his  seat ;  "  all  of  us  that  were  playing  should 
pay  something,  because  we  were  all  engaged 
alike  in  the  play  ;  I'll  pay  my  part." 

"  And  I."     "  And  I." 

A  thrill  of  pleasure  seemed  to  run  through 
the  school  at  this  display  of  correct  feeling. 
The  teacher's  heart  was  touched,  and  she  felt 
more  than  ever  the  responsibility  of  her  charge. 


WASPS,  PAPER  MAKERS. 

How  surprising  is  the  operation  of  the  wasps, 
which  literally  make  paper  for  their  hives. 
The  beautifully  constructed  nests  of  birds  will 
now  furnish  themes  for  many  a  morning  medi- 
tation on  instinct;  but  spare  the  young  fledg- 
lings within  !  It  is  an  hitherto  inexplicable 
fact,  that  all  lairds  of  the  same  species  build  the 
nests  exactly  alike,  although  the  educative  pro- 
cess which  has  taught  Ihem  so  to  do  is  involved 
in  mystery.  The  wren,  the  long  tailed  tit- 
mouse, and  the  magpie  cover  them  in  above, 
with  an  entrance  at  the  side,  the  interior  bear- 
ing an  exact  resemblance  to  an  architectural 
dome. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.        99 


AN  EXPERIMENT. 

I  once  knew  a  boy  who  was  employed  by  his 
father  to  remove  all  the  loose^  small  stones, 
which,  from  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  ground, 
had  accumulated  in  the  road  before  the  house. 
He  was  to  take  them  up,  and  throw  them  over 
into  the  pasture  across  the  way.  He  soon  got 
tired  of  picking  them  up  one  by  one,  and  sat 
clown  upon  the  bank  to  try  to  devise  some  bet- 
ter means  of  accomplishing  his  work  ;  he  at 
length  conceived  and  adopted  the  following 
plan.  He  set  up  in  the  pasture, a  narrow  board 
for  a  target,  or,  as  boys  would  call  it,  a  mark, 
and  then  collecting  all  the  boys  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, he  proposed  to  them  as  an  amusement, 
which  boys  are  always  ready  for,  firing  at  a 
mark.  I  need  not  say  that  the  stores  of  ammu- 
nition in  the  street  were  soon  exhausted,  the 
boys  working  for  their  leader,  when  they  sup- 
posed they  were  only  finding  amusement  for 
themselves.  Here,  now,  is  experimenting  upon 
the  mind ;  the  production  of  useful  effort  with 
rapidity  and  ease,  by  the  intervention  of  proper 
instrumentality  ;  the  conversion  by  means  of  a 
little  knowledge  of  human  nature,  of  that  which 
would  have  otherwise  been  dull  and  fatiguing 
labor,  into  a  most  animating  sport,  giving  plea- 
sure to  twenty,  instead  of  tedious  labor  to  one. 


100    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


LITTLE  ANN. 

"Papa,"  said  little  Ann  Harrison,  "when 
shall  I  be  twenty  years  old?  " 

"  Twenty  years  old  !  "  said  her  father;  "how 
came  such  a  thought  as  that  into  my  girl's 
head?  "  Then,  with  a  graver  look,  and  a  deep 
sigh,  (for  he  had  already  lost  several  lovely 
children,)  he  added,  "  You  may  never  live  to 
be  twenty,  my  love." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     101 

"  I  know  that,"  said  the  prattler,  "for  poor 
brother  Henry  was  only  seven  when  he  died, 
and  dear  little  baby  Hetty  was  but  a  year  and 
a  half  old.  I  remember  them.  And  then  Ste- 
phen was  only  four,  and  Francis  but  two;  for 
mamma  and  I  went  into  the  church-yard,  and 
read  the  dates  upon  their  tomb-stones  the  other 
day.  But,  papa,  if  I  do  live,  when  shall  I  be 
twenty?  " 

"  Why,"  replied  her  father,  "  I  believe  you 
know  the  multiplication  table ;  how  many  are 
four  times  five?  " 

"Twenty,"  said  the  little  girl.  . 

"  Well,  then,  as  you  are  now  only  five,  you 
must  live  three  times  as  long  as  you  have  lived, 
before  you  are  of  that  age." 

"  0  dear  !  "  cried  Ann,  "  that  is  a  very,  very 
long  time,  indeed !  But  when  I  am  twenty  I 
shall  be  a  woman,  shan't  I,  papa?  " 

"  I  suppose  you  will  think  yourself  one,"  said 
her  father.  "  But  pray  what  does  all  this  lead 
to?  " 

"  Why,  then,  when  I  am  a  woman  I  may  do 
as  I  like ;  may  I  not,  papa?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  about  that ;  you  may  like 
to  do  something  that  is  impossible,  or  at  least 
highly  improper;  or  you  maybe  under  some 
who  will  prevent  your  doing  what  you  like, 
even  if  it  is  ever  so  reasonable.  But  pray  what 
does  my  little  Ann  think  she  should  like  to  do?" 

"  Why,  papa,  I  have  been  thinking  that 
when  I  am  a  woman,  I  will  just  have  such 


102    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

pretty  dresses,   and  fine  feathers,  and  ride  in 
such  a  handsome  carriage  as  Mrs.  Montague." 

"  0  !  your  humble  servant,"  cried  Mr.  Harri« 
son,  "  it  is  all  come  out  now.  But  then,  there 
is  another  thing  to  be  taken  into  consideration. 
In  order  to  do  as  Mrs.  Montague  does,  you 
must  have  as  much  money  as  she  has;  and  I 
really  do  not  think  that  will  ever  be  your  lot." 

"  Why,  papa,"  said  the  child,  "  cannot  you 
give  me  as  much?  I  thought  you  were  very 
rich,  and  could  give  my  brother  and  me  a  great 
deal  of  money." 

"Then,  my  dear,"  replied  he,  "  you  are  much 
mistaken.  I  neither  can  do  it,  nor  am  I  desi- 
rous of  it." 

"  Not  desirous  of  it !  Why,  do  you  not  wish 
to  see  us  very  happy?  " 

"Yes,  my  love;  but  I  do  not  think  being 
very  rich  would  make  you  so." 

"  No ! "  said  Ann.  "  WThy,  are  not  all  rich 
people  happy?  " 

"Indeed  they  are  not,"  said  her  father^ 
"many  of  them  are  far  more  miserable  than 
those  who  have  to  work  hard  for  their  daily 
bread." 

"  Wrell,  I  could  never  have  thought  it." 

"I  suppose  not;  but  pray  tell  me  what  yots? 
wish  for  more  than  you  have.  Is  not  that  white 
frock  you  have  on  a  very  neat  one?" 

"  Yes,  papa,  but — " 

"  But  what?     Speak  out." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     103 

c*  I  should  like  it  better  if  it  was  trimmed 
with  lace;  and  I  want  a  feather  in  my  bonnet." 

"  That  you  are  not  likely  to  have,  because 
both  your  mother  and  myself  think  that  the  sim- 
pler dress  is,  especially  for  children,  the  better. 
But  since  you  wished  to  be  dressed  handsomely, 
I  can  tell  you  of  a  garment  that  is  at  once  the 
most  useful,  and  the  most  ornamental  of  any  in 
the  universe.  It  is  so  white, that  even  the  snow 
cannot  equal  it ;  so  full  and  elegant,  that  it 
hides  all  blemishes  and  defects ;  and  so  hand- 
some, that  even  God  himself  and  his  holy  an- 
gels take  delight  in  beholding  all  those  who 
wear  it." 

"0,  papa !  do  buy  me  this  pretty  dress." 

"  It  is  not  to  be  bought ;  no  money  can  pur- 
chase it.     It  must  be  received  as  a  free  gift." 

"  0,  how  good  it  must  be  in  those  who  give 
away  such  a  beautiful  dress !  Do,  my  dear 
papa,  get  them  to  give  me  one." 

A  tear  started  into  Mr.  Harrison's  eye,  while 
he  pressed  his  little  girl  to  his  bosom,  and  ex- 
claimed :  "Indeed,  my  love,  it  is  the  first  wish 
of  my  heart  that  both  you  and  your  brother 
may  wear  this  white  robe." 

"My  brother!"  said  Ann;  "why  great  boys 
do  not  wear  white  frocks." 

"  The  white  robe  of  which  I  speak,  is  suit- 
able for  old  and  young,  rich  and  poor,  male  and 
female.  Indeed,  all  must  have  it,  or  be  ruined 
forever." 


104    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN, 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  papa." 
"  I  will  endeavor  to  explain  my  meaning. 
You  have  been  taught  in  your  catechism,  that 
the  first  man,  Adam,  sinned  against  God,  and 
by  his  sin  involved  all  his  posterity  in  guilt  and 
misery." 

"  Are  all  men  sinners,  then,  papa." 
"  Yes,  all  men,  and  women,  and  children 
too ;  you  have  just  given  proof  that  your  heart 
is  sinful.  Your  desire  of  fine  clothes  shows- 
pride,  which  is  a  very  great  sin.  Again,  your 
wishing  for  things  you  do  not  possess,  shows.- 
discontent,  unthankfulness  for  the  many  good5 
things  God  has  given  you,  and  a  covetous  de- 
sire of  things  he  has  thought  fit  to  withhold* 
And  all  this  is  very  wrong,  and  sinful." 

Ann  asked  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  "  Is  Gods 
Almighty  angry  mith  me,  papa?" 

"  He  is  always  angry  with  sin,  my  dear." 
"  Oh  I  am  sorry  I  have  been  so  naughty,"' 
said  Ann,  weeping;  "  will  God  forgive  me?" 

"  He  is  a  God  of  infinite  mercy  and  forgive- 
ness, my  love,  and  always  ready  to  pardon  those- 
who  seek  mercy  through  his  beloved  Son.  You. 
have  been  taught  that  Jesus  Christ  the  blessed 
Redeemer,  came  into  the  world  to  die  for  sin- 
ners, and  by  his  merits  and  death  to  atone  for 
their  sins,  and  reconcile  them  to  his  heavenly 
Father,  and  save  them  with  an  everlasting  sal- 
vation. Now  it  is  the  possession  of  this  grace 
and  salvation,  that  is  figurately  expressed  in 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     105 

Scripture  by  wearing  the  white  robe  of  Christ's 
righteousness ;  and  without  this  we  shall  never 
be  tit  to  serve  God  here,  nor  to  enjoy  him  in 
heaven.  This  is  what  my  soul  earnestly  desires 
for  my  children.  Will  my  little  Ann  endeavor 
to  remember  what  I  have  said  upon  this  subject? 

"  1  will  try  to  do  so,  papa.  I  will  pray  to 
God  to  forgive  my  sins,  and  to  clothe  me  with 
the  robe  of  his  Son's  righteousness.*' 

"  Do  so,  my  love.  I  trust  your  parents  will 
never  forget  to  pray  for  you." 


A  VEGETABLE  COMPASS. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  in  the  vast  prai- 
ries of  Texas  a  little  plant  is  always  to  be  found, 
which,  under  all  circumstances  of  climate, 
change  of  weather,  rain,  frost  or  sunshine,  in- 
variably turns  its  leaves  and  flowers  to  the  north. 
If  a  solitary  traveller  were  making  his  way 
across  those  trackless  wilds,  without  a  star  to 
guide  or  compass  to  direct  him,  he  finds  an  un- 
erring monitor  in  an  humble  plant,  and  he  fol- 
lows its  guidance,  certain  that  it  will  not  mis- 
lead him. 


106     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


THE  TWO  CLOUDS. 
"Thai  good  for  nothing — hateful  rain!" 
I  heard  a  little  girl  complain 
So  bitterly  one  summer  day, 
"  Why  could  it  not  have  kept  away? 
The  sun,  this  morning,  rose  so  fair 
In  the  blue  sky — I  do  declare 
That  cruel  weather  hath  no  right 
To  act  so,  just  as  if  in  spile, 
That  I  might  wear  that  mean  old  gown, 
And  stay  all  day  in  this  dull  town. 
Here  am  I  in  my  fine  new  frock, 
All  ready  for  that  lovely  walk, 
And  now  that  ugly  cloud  must  come 
To  pen  me  up  all  day  at  home." 

"  Fie!  little  lady,  tell  me,  now, 

Is  not  the  cloud  upon  thy  brow 

Far  uglier  than  the  kindly  one 

That  came  between  thee  and  the  sun, 

To  screen  thee  from  the  scorching  heat 

That  on  thy  head  would  fiercely  beat, 

And  send  from  God,  the  genial  shower 

To  cheer  parched  field  and  fainting  flower?" 

The  evening  sun  broke  forth,  at  last, 
With  sparkling — the  storm  was  past — 
In  all  earth's  myriad  eyes  there  stood 
Great,  glistening  tears  of  gratitude. 
I  saw  reflected  there  the  glance 
Of  God's  benignant  countenance, 
And  she,  that  thoughtless,  fretful  child, 
Looked  out  with  tearless  cheeks  and  smiled. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     107 


ORIENTAL  WATER  CARRIER. 

In  oriental  towns,  water  is  not  conveyed  to 
the  several  streets  and  houses  by  pipes  or  trench- 
es. It  must  all  be  brought  from  the  river  or 
the  wells.  In  towns,  this  is  seldom  done  by 
the  householders  themselves,  or  by  their  ser- 
vants. There  are  men  who  make  it  a  trade  to 
supply  every  day,  to  regular  customers,  the 
■quantity  of  water  required.  This  they  carry 
about  in  a  well  prepared  goatskin,  which  is 
•-slung  to  the  back,  the  neck  being  usually 
brought  under  the  arm  and  compressed  by  the 
hand,  serving  as  the  mouth  of  this  curious,  but 
■exceedingly  useful  vessel.  Persons  of  larger 
-dealings  have  an  ass  which  carries  two  skins 
at  once,  borne  like  panniers;  and  we  have 
known  very  prosperous  water  carriers  who  had 
oxskins  carried  on  a  horse.  These  men,  con- 
tinually passing  to  and  fro  with  their  wet  bags 
fthrough  the  narrow  streets  to  avoid  carriages 
and  carts.  In  a  time  of  public  calamity  the 
water  carriers  are  the  last  to  discontinue  their 
Oabor ;  and  their  doing  so  is  a  sure  indication 
Ahat  the  distress  has  become  most  intense  and 
imminent,  and  is  indeed  a  great  calamity  in  it- 
self. 

It  is  a  blessing  for  which  we  should  be  thank- 
(ful  to  God,  that  in  this  country,  we  have  so 
flittle  heat  and  such  an  abundance  of  water, 
compared  with  the  Orientals. 


108    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


SAMUEL  AND  ROBERT. 

In  the  town  of  W.  there  lives  a  lad  about 
ten  years  of  age,  "whom  I  shall  call  Samuel. 
He  has  got  very  kind  parents,  who  Jove  him 
very  much,  because  he  is  a  good  and  obedient 
boy.  He  never  plays  truant,  but  goes  directly 
to  school,  and  makes  such  rapid  progress  in  his 
studies,  that  he  not  only  receives  the  praise  of 
his  kind  teacher,  but  of  all  who  know  him. 

One  afternoon  as  Samuel  was  going  to  school, 
he  saw  Robert,  a  large  wicked  boy,  a  number 
of  years  older  than  himself,  leaning  over  the 
fence,  beside  the  road,  a  few  rods  ahead  of  him. 
"When  Samuel  came  up  off  against  where  Ro- 
bert was  standing,  Robert  sung  out, 

"  Hallo,  Sam,  where  are  you  going  in  such 
a  hurry  V9 

"  To  school,  where  you  should  be  ;"  replied 
Samuel. 

Samuel,  by  some  means  or  other,  was  tempt- 
ed to  stop  and  hear  what  the  wicked  boy  had 
to  say. 

"  I  am  not  going  to  school  this  afternoon," 
said  Robert,  "  but  I  am  going  a  hunting.  I 
have  got  father's  gun  down  here  under  the 
fence,  and  plenty  of  powder  and  shot.  Come, 
Sam,  won't  you  go  with  me  ?  If  you  will,  you 
shall  fire  the  gun  as  many  times  as  you  have  a 
mind  to." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     109 

This  was  a  very  tempting  offer  for  Samuel, 
for  he  was  very  fond  of  firing  guns,  but  he 
summoned  up  all  his  courage,  and  told  Robert, 
"  he  would  not  go  with  him,  for  it  was  very 
wicked  to  play  truant." 

"  Who  cares  for  that  ?"  said  Robert,  "  no 
one  will  ever  know  it.  Jack  Green  says  he 
saw  lots  of  gray  squirrels  down  here  in  the 
woods,  the  other  day,  and  that  he  will  give  me 
fourpence  a  piece,  for  all  I  can  kill.  Now  if 
you  will  go  with  me,  you  shall  have  half  of  the 
money.     Come,  Sam,  won't  you  go." 

This  nearly  prompted  poor  Samuel  to  go,  for 
he  had  been  wanting  some  money,  for  a  long 
time,  to  buy  him  a  new  sled  with,  and  he  was 
just  ready  to  answer  yes,  when  he  again  called 
up  all  his  courage,  and  exclaiming,  "  No,  I 
wonH  go  with  you,"  he  ran  off  to  school  as  fast 
as  he  could  go,  where  he  arrived  just  in  time. 

Robert  finding  that  all  his  endeavors  to  in- 
duce Samuel  to  accompany  him,  proved  fruit- 
less, concluded  to  set  out  alone.  He  went  to 
the  woods  with  a  heavy  heart,  half  repenting 
the  course  he  had  taken,  and  wishing  himself 
half  as  happy  as  Samuel.  But  he  kept  on,  and 
after  wading  through  the  deep  snow  for  several 
hours,  without  finding  any  game,  he  set  out  lor 
home,  tired  and  unhappy.  When  he  arrived  at 
the  house  it  was  sunset.  He  carried  the  gun 
and  put  it  in  its  place  in  the  kitchen,  without 
any  one's  seeing  him.  "  Oh,"  thought  he, 
10 


110     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  how  unhappy  I  have  made  myself,  by  diso- 
beying my  parents  ;  if  I  had  only  gone  to  school, 
as  they  told  me,  it  would  have  saved  me  all 
these  dreadful  feelings."  But  he  did  not  and 
what  had  been  done  could  not  be  undone ;  so 
after  hesitating  a  few  moments,  he  entered  the 
sitting  room,  where  the  family  were  all  seated 
around  the  bright  fire.  All  was  silent  for  seve- 
ral minutes.  At  last,  Robert's  father  spoke,  at 
the  same  time  placing  his  hand  on  Robert's 
head. 

"  Where  have  you  been  this  afternoon,  Ro- 
bert V  he  asked. 

"  To  school,  sir,"  replied  Robert,  trembling 
from  head  to  foot. 

"  How  is  that,"  said  his  father,  "  Samuel  was 
here,  on  an  errand  after  school,  to-night,  and  I 
asked  him  if  he  knew  where  you  was,  that  you 
did  not  come  home.  iVnd  he  said  that  you  had 
not  been  to  school  this  afternoon  ;  that  he  saw 
you  beside  the  road  when  he  went,  and  that 
you  told  him  you  was  going  a  hunting.  And, 
besides,  I  saw  you  walking  round  in  trife  woods 
with  the  gun  on  your  shoulder.  0,  Robert, 
how  could  you  be  so  wicked  as  to  play  truant, 
and  then  to  commit  a  worse  sin,  by  telling  a 
lie  in  endeavoring  to  conceal  it.  I  hate  to 
chastise  you,  but  I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty;  and  I 
must  inflict  upon  you  a  severe  punishment." 
He  then  took  Robert  out  of  the  room  and  gave 
him  a  hearty  threshing,  with  the  promise  of 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     Ill 

another,  if  he  ever  played  truant  again.  He  then 
sent  him  to  his  little  bed  room,  to  spend  the 
evening  in  meditating  on  his  past  sins,  and  in 
asking  God's  forgiveness. 

As  for  Samuel,  he  went  home  from  school 
that  night  with  a  heart  full  of  thanks  to  God 
for  giving  him  strength  to  resist  the  tempta- 
tions which  had  been  thrown  in  his  path,  and 
for  enabling  him  to  walk  in  the  way  which  he 
should  go.  After  Samuel  had  partaken  of  the 
supper  which  his  kind  mother  had  prepared  for 
him,  he  told  his  parents  all  about  what  had 
happened  on  his  way  to  school,  and  they  could 
not  refrain  from  pressing  their  dear  son  to  their 
booms,  and  thanking  God  for  helping  him  when 
surrounded  by  temptations.  It  did  Samuel  more 
good  to  see  how  happy  his  parents  were,  than 
it  would  if  he  had  possessed  all  the  money  in 
the  world. 

Now,  young  reader,  which  of  these  boys  do 
you  think  enjoyed  himself  best,  that  evening, 
and  for  many  days  after ;  Samuel  who  obeyed 
his  parents,  and  made  them  feel  happy,  or 
Robert  who  disobeyed  his  parents,  and  made 
them  feel  unhappy  and  miserable  1 


112    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

THE  MISCHIEVOUS  BOY. 

"  Come,  go  with  me  to  Walnut  Grove,"  said 
Egbert  Holly  to  Luther  Hill. 

"  When  are  you  going  V  said  Luther. 

"  Now,  right  away ;  will  you  go  ?" 

"  I  can't  unless  you  will  wait  for  me  while  I 
go  home  and  ask  father's  permission." 

"  Ask  father's  permission  !"  replied  Egbert, 
in  a  tone  of  contempt,  "  I  should  be  sorry  if  I 
had  to  ask  my  father  for  permission  every  time 
I  breathed." 

"  I  don't  have  to  ask  him  for  liberty  to  breathe 
any  more  than  you  do.  I  have  to  ask  him  when 
I  want  to  go  away  any  where,  and  so  do  you, 
that  is,  you  have  to  ask  your  father." 

"That's  may-be-so,"  said  Egbert,  not  quite 
daring  to  deny  the  truth  of  Luther's  assertion. 

"  Will  you  wait  for  me  ?" 

"  Yes,  if  you  will  be  quick." 

Luther  started  on  a  run,  to  go  and  get  per- 
mission to  go  to  WTalnut  grove.  He  was  an 
obedient  and  good  boy,  and  it  is  rather  strange 
that  he  was  anxious  to  go  with  Egbert  after 
what  had  passed.  But  the  grove  was  pleasant, 
and  society  was  pleasant,  even  if  it  were  not  so 
good  as  it  ought  to  be.  Luther  received  the 
desired  permission,  and  the  boys  were  soon  on 
the  way  to  the  grove.  Luther  was  in  haste  to 
get  there,  but  Egbert  lingered  by  the  way,  look- 
ing out,  as  he  said,  for  fun. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     113 

"  Let  us  turn  this  cow  into  the  clover  field/' 
said  he. 

"  What  for  ?"  said  Luther. 

"  0  for  fun,  and  to  hear  old  Osborn  swear 
when  he  finds  her  there." 

"  I  don't  see  what  fun  there  can  be  in  pure 
wickedness,"  said  Luther. 

"  You  don't  know  much,"  said  Egbert. 

He  was  in  a  fair  way  to  know  more  if  he 
continued  to  associate  with  Egbert. 

They  turned  out  of  the  high  way,  and  went 
across  a  meadow.  A  wagon  loaded  with  hay 
stood  there.     The  workmen  were  not  in  sight. 

"  What  are  you  doing  to  that  wheel  ?"  said 
Luther,  as  Egbert  stopped,  and  began  to  work 
at  one  of  the  hinder  wheels. 

"  I'm  taking  the  linchpin  out." 

"What  for?" 

"  So  that  the  wheel  will  run  off,  and  let  them 
down  when  they  don't  know  it." 

"  Oh  don't  now,  it  isn't  right." 

"  You  be-  still." 

"You  may  hurt  somebody." 

"  I'll  risk  it." 

"  I'll  put  it  in  again,  if  you  do  take  it  out." 

"I  guess  you  won't,"  said  Egbert  taking  it 
out,  and  throwing  it  as  far  as  he  could  into  the 
grass. 

"  I  shall  tell  Mr.  Henry  that  the  linchpin  is 
out." 

"  If  you  tell  him  I  took  it  out,  you  won't  live 
long." 

10* 


114    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  I  shall  tell  him  it  is  out,  and  if  he  asks  me 
■who  took  it  out,  1  shall  tell  him.  I  shan't  con- 
ceal such  wickedness." 

"  I'll  see  if  you  do,"  said  Egbert,  seizing  him 
by  the  collar,  and  beginning  to  shake  him.  At 
this  moment  a  man  slid  off  from  the  load  of 
hav,  and  alighted  on  his  feet  by  their  side." 

"  Let  go,"  said  he  to  Egbert,  "  I'll  do  the 
shaking,"  and  he  shook  him  till  his  face  looked 
very  red,  and  he  roared  for  mercy. 

"  You  had  better  go  home,"  said  he  to  Lu- 
ther. "  You  are  a  good  boy.  Don't  be  found 
in  company  with  this  villain  again.  It  will  be 
sometime  before  he  sees  home.  He  has  to  find 
that  linchpin  before  he  goes." 

Luther  left  the  meadow,  but  when  he  reach- 
ed the  road,  he  stopped  to  see  what  would  be- 
come of  his  late  companion. 

The  man  was  lying  on  the  load  of  hay  when 
the  boys  came  up,  and  heard  all  that  was  said. 
He  now  took  the  long  horse  whip  which  lay  on 
the  hay,  and  told  Egbert  to  find  the  linchpin, 
and  put  it  in  its  place.  Egbert  went  in  the  di- 
rection in  which  he  threw  it,  and  looked  for  it, 
moving  farther  and  farther  away  from  the  man 
with  the  whip.  At  length  he  started  and  ran, 
thinking  to  make  his  escape. 

"  That's  the  game,  is  it  ?"  said  he.  «  I'll 
soon  overhaul  you."  So  he  ran  after  Egbert 
and  soon  came  near  him,  and  laid  the  horsewhip 
around  his  legs  with  great  vigor.  This  soon 
turned  his  running  to  dancing. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     115 

"  Back  with  you,  my  lad,  and  find  the  pin. 
You  don't  go  home  till"  you  do."  Egbert  re- 
newed his  search.  The  man  went  to  mowing 
in  the  vicinity,  keeping  his  eye  upon  him  in 
case  he  should  attempt  to  escape.  Just  before 
sunset  he  found  it. 

"  I've  found  it,"  said  he. 

"  Put  it  in  its  place,"  said  the  man  coming 
up  to  him.  When  it  was  put  in,  he  said  to 
him,  "  now  cut  for  home."  Egbert  started 
upon  a  run,  and  the  man  after  him,  with  the 
whip  in  his  hand.  Once  in  every  rod,  he 
would  wind  the  whip  lash  around  his  legs  till 
he  got  fairly  out  of  the  field.  He  then  left  him 
to  go  home  with  sore  legs  and  red  eyes,  and 
give  to  his  parents  such  an  account  of  the  mat- 
ter as  he  saw  fit. 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR. 
Gladden  life,  with  its  sunniest  features,  and 
gloss  it  over  with  its  richest  hues,  and  it  be- 
comes a  poor  painted  thing,  if  there  be  in  it  no 
toil,  no  hearty,  hard  work.  The  laborer  sighs 
for  repose.  Where  is  it  ?  What  is  it  ?  Friend, 
whoever  thou  art,  know,  if  to  be  found,  it  is  to 
be  found  in  work  alone.  No  good,  no  great- 
ness, no  progress  is  gained  without  it.  Work, 
then,  and  faint  not,  for  therein  is  the  well  spring 
of  human  hope,  and  human  happiness. 


116     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


WASHINGTON'S   REMARKABLE    DELIVER- 
ANCE. 

In  the  war  of  the  revolution,  while  Washing- 
ton and  his  army  were  encamped  at  West  Point, 
upon  the  Hudson  river,  the  general  was  accus- 
tomed to  spend  much  of  his  time  with  the  fami- 
ly of  an  intimate  acquaintance,  residing  not  far 
distant.  This  man  was  suspected  of  being  a 
Tory,  or  of  favoring  the  cause  of  the  British 
against  America;  but  he  professed  himself  to 
be  strictly  neutFal. 

He  was  often  seen  returning  from  the  ene- 
my's camp  during  the  intimacy  of  Washington 
with  his  family,  and  strong  fears  were  excited 
that  some  plot  against  the  general  was  intended. 

Washington,  however,  continued  his  visits, 
without  appearing  to  notice  these  suspicions. 

At  length,  one  day,  as  he  was  about  to  take 
his  leave,  his  friend  earnestly  requested  his  com- 
pany at  dinner  the  next  afternoon.  He  begged 
him  to  come  without  formality,  as  the  attend- 
ance of  his  guard  seemed  to  exhibit  marks  of 
distrust  in  his  friendship.  He  also  insisted  upont 
his  being  punctual  at  the  hour,  2  o'clock. 
With  a  look  that  confused  the  base  traitor,  and 
made  him  cower,  Washington  accepted  his  in- 
vitation, and  promised  to  be  there  at  the  hour, 
and  without  his  usual  attendants. 

The  next  day,  half  an  hour  before  the  time, 
Washington   reached   the  house  of  his  host. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     117 

The  false  friend  received  him  with  the  utmost 
cordiality,  complimenting  him  for  his  punctual- 
ity. As  dinner  was  not  yet  ready,  Wash- 
ington proposed  a  walk  upon  the  piazza,  from 
which  a  fine  prospect  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try was  to  be  had. 

The  general  kept  up  a  lively  but  cutting 
conversation  upon  treachery,  false  friendship, 
&c,  to  the  no  small  annoyance  of  the  base 
man,  who  had  betrayed  him. 

A  company  apparently  of  British  cavalry 
were  now  seen  winding  around  a  neighboring 
hill,  and  riding  post  haste  towards  the  house. 

"  Is  it  two  o'clock  yet?"  demanded  Washing- 
ton, "  for  I  have  an  engagement  this  afternoon 
at  the  army,  and  must  consequently  shorten  my 
visit." 

"  It  lacks  a  full  quarter  yet,"  said  his  friend, 
seemingly  doubtful  of  his  watch,  from  the  arri- 
val of  the  horsemen.  "  But,  bless  me  sir !" 
said  Washington,  "  what  cavalry  are  those,  so 
rapidly  approaching  the  house." 

"Oh,  they  may  possibly  be  a  party  of  British 
light  horse,"  answered  his  companion,  "  sent 
for  the  purpose  of  protecting  me."  And  step- 
ping up  to  Washington  very  familiarly,  he  tap- 
ped him  on  the  shoulder,  saying,  "  General, 
you  are  my  prisoner." 

"  I  believe  not,"  replied  Washington,  calmly 
looking  at   the  men  j  "  but,"   exclaimed   he. 


118     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

slapping  him  in  return  upon  his  arm,  "  I  kno\> 
you  are  mine." 

It  appears  the  British  had  offered  this  man  a 
large  sum  of  money  to  make  an  appointment 
with  Washington  at  2  o'clock,  and  they  were 
secretly  to  send  a  troop  of  horse  to  secure  him. 

Suspecting  this  Washington  had  ordered  his 
own  troops  to  habit  themselves  as  English  cav- 
alry, and  to  arrive  a  half  an  hour  sooner  than 
the  appointment,  while  he  went  alone  to  the 
house  of  the  Tory.  And  thus  the  life  of  this 
great  man  was  once  more  providentally  saved. 

Washington  at  first  intended  to  make  an  ex- 
ample of  this  vile  hypocrite;  but  his  forgiving 
temper  conquered  his  original  judgment,  and 
the  man  was  permitted  to  live,  on  the  condition 
of  his  leaving  the  country  forever. 


SAMUEL  AND  ELI,  OR  THE  FIRST  BLUSH. 

The  boy  Samuel  served  the  Lord  at  Shiloh, 
before  Eli,  the  priest,  and  he  found  favor  with 
God  and  with  men.  For  he  served  the  Lord 
with  a  pure  heart,  and  was  obedient,  and  grew 
in  wisdom. 

But  Phineas  and  Hophni,  the  sons  of  Eli, 
were  wicked  young  men,  who  did  not  seek  after 
the  Lord,  and  their  sins  were  very  great.     And 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     119 

they  stood  one  day  beneath  a  tree,  before  the 
house  of  their  father,  and  the  boy  Samuel  stood 
by  them,  girded  with  a  linen  ephod. 

But  Hophni  and  Phineas  uttered  sinful  and 
impure  words  one  to  another,  in  the  hearing  of 
the  boy. 

Samuel  blushed  greatly,  so  that  his  face 
shone  like  the  glow  of  evening,  when  the  day 
has  passed  away.  It  was  the  boy's  'first  bksh. 
From  his  childhood  up,  until  now,  he  had  never 
heard  a  sinful  word  from  the  mouth  of  man. 

But  the  wicked  youths  laughed  at  the  boy, 
and  mocked  him,  because  he  blushed  at  their 
words ;  and  Samuel  turned  away  his  face  and 
wept. 

Then  Eli  who  had  heard  all  these  things, 
drew  near  to  the  boy  and  said  ;  "  My  son,  why 
wTeepest  thou  V9 

Then  Samuel  answered  ;  "  Thy  sons  Hophni 
and  Phineas,  uttered  sinful  words  in*ny  hearing, 
and  my  heart  was  moved,  and  a  burning  glow 
came,  I  know  not  how,  upon  my  face ;  and 
they  laughed  me  to  scorn." 

Then  Eli  embraced  the  boy  Samuel,  and 
kissed  him,  and  said:  "Alas!  my  son,  wipe 
thy  tears,  and  let  not  their  scoffs  trouble  thy 
heart. 

Thou  art  the  chosen  of  the  Lord  ;  but  that 
which  gives  me  joy  over  thee,  fills  my  heart 
with  sorrow  for  my  own  children,  for  they  have 
corrupted  their  youth  in  the  blossom,  how  then 
can  they  bring  forth  good  fruit  V 


120     SELECT  STOEIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

And  Eli  wept  over  his  sons  until  his  eyes 
grew  dim,  and  they  caused  him  nothing  but 
affliction.  But  Samuel  rejoiced  the  heart  of 
Eli  the  priest,  and  he  walked  uprightly  before 
the  Lord. 


VALUE  OF  LABOR  IN  A  WATCH. 

It  may  not  be  known  to  all  that  a  watch 
consists  of  nine  hundred  and  two  pieces,  and 
that  forty  trades,  and  probably  two  hundred  and 
fifteen  persons  are  employed  in  making  one  of 
these  little  machines.  The  iron  of  which  the 
balance-wheel  is  formed,  is  valued  at  something 
less  than  a  farthing;  this  produces  an  ounce  of 
steel  worth  eight  and  a  half  cents,  which  is 
drawn  into  three  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  of  st^el  wire,  and  represents  in  the  mar- 
ket, eight  dollars  and  forty-four  cents ;  but  still 
another  process  of  hardening  this,  originally  a 
farthing's  worth  of  iron,  renders  it  workable  into 
seven  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty  balance 
springs,  which  will  realize  at  the  common  price 
of  sixty-three  cents  each,  four  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-four  dollars,  the  effect  of  labor 
alone.  Thus,  the  mere  labor  bestowTed  upon 
one  farthing's  worth  of  iron,  gives  it  the  value 
of  four  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-four 
dollars,  wich  is  nine  hundred  and  eighteen  thou- 
sand times  its  original  value. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     121 


MY  BROTHER  ON  THE  SEA. 
The  storm  is  raging  loud  to-night, 

And  darker  grows  the  sky, 
And  like  a  giant  in  his  might, 

The  strong  wind  rushes  by; 
My  heart  is  with  the  good,  the  brave, 

Who  ride  the  billows  free, 
With  one  whose  home  is  oeean's  wave, 

My  brother  on  the  sea  I 

Would  I  could  bid  the  tempest  cease, 

That  hath  the  sky  defiled, 
And  soothe  to  gentleness  and  peace, 

The  bitter  winds  and  wild; 
How  can  I  bear  their  wrath  to  mark, 

That  death  to  him  may  be, 
A  wanderer  in  a  fragile  bark, 

My  brother  on  the  sea4! 

We  were  a  happy  household  band, 

In  childhood's  sunny  hours, 
Our  pathway,  hope's  own  rosy  hand, 

Strewed  with  her  fairest  flowers; 
But  now  a  change  has  o'er  us  passed, 

The  grave  hides  two  from  me, 
And  far  away  his  lot  is  cast, 

My  brother  on  the  sea! 


11 


122    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

My  fancy  oft  recalls  those  days, 

That  vanished  long  ago, 
And  memory's  light,  that  round  them  plays, 

Restrains  its  vivid  glow; 
How  sweet  the  times  that  were — but  now, 

How  sadly  changed  they  be, 
I  in  my  loneliness — and  thou, 

My  brother,  on  the  sea! 

0,  is  it  strange  that  I  should  weep, 

To  hear  the  tempest  rise; 
To  know  that  o'er  an  angry  deep, 

His  rayless  pathway  lies. 
0  God,  my  eyes  with  tears  are  dim, 

To  thee  I  come,  to  THEE, 
Hear  thou  my  earnest  prayer  for  him, 

My  brother  on  the  sea! 

Through  every  danger  safely  guide, 

Thy  watch-care  round  him  thrown, 
Grant  that  his  bark  unscathed  may  ride 

High  o'er  where  wrecks  are  strown; 
But  oh,  if  there  his  own  must  lie, 

If  there  his  grave  must  be, 
Grant  I  may  meet  above  the  sky, 

My  brother  on  the  sea ! 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     123 


STONES. 

"  Children,"  said  the  teacher, "  how  many  of 
you  think  Charles  Snow  is  right  ?  He  says 
that  stones  are  good  for  nothing  things,  and  he 
does  not  see  what  they  were  made  for." 

The  children  were  all  silent,  except  one,  who 
said,  "  they  were  good  for  walls." 

"  Well,"  said  the  teacher,  "  you  may  go  on 
with  your  studies  now,  and  if  you  can  all  get 
good  lessons,  and  recite  them  well  by  half-past 
three  this  afternoon,  we  will  talk  a  little  about 
stones."  All  went  busily  to  work,  when  the 
teacher  said  this  ;  and  every  little  scholar  tried 
hard  to  get  ready  for  half-past  three.  At  recess, 
there  was  much  wonder  expressed  as  to  what 
the  teacher  could  say  about  such  useless  things 
as  stones.  "  I  know,"  says  one  feeble-looking 
little  boy,  "he  will  say  we  must  not  throw  them 
at  each  other." 

"  I  suppose  he  will,"  said  a  taller  boy  who 
stood  near,  and  who  felt  a  little  guilty ;  "  but 
I  guess  he  can  say  something  more  than  that." 

Half-past  three  came,  and  the  teacher  struck 
his  little  desk-bell,  which  was  the  signal  for  the 
books  to  be  put  by,  and  for  all  to  be  quiet  in 
their  seats. 

When  all  were  still,  he  told  them  to  take 
their  Bibles  out,  or  fthey  would  want  them. 
He   then  asked  them  who   made  the  stones'? 

"  God  made  them,"  they  replied. 


124    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  How  do  you  know  V  said  the  teacher. 

"  God  made  all  things." 

"  But  how  do  you  know  God  made  all 
things." 

"  The  Bible  says  so." 

"  Yes,  the  Bible  says,  that  without  Him 
was  not  any  thing  made  that  was  made." 

"  Stones  must  be  good  for  something  then,  for 
every  thing  God  has  made  is  good." 

The  teacher  then  found  several  passages  in 
the  Bible,  showing  where  stones  were  used; 
and  some  under  very  interesting  circumstances. 
Abraham  made  altars  of  stones,  to  offer  sacri- 
fice to  God.  Jacob,  when  he  dreamed  of  the 
ladder,  had  a  stone  for  his  pillow;  and  when 
he  awoke,  he  poured  oil  upon  it,  and  set  it  up, 
that  he  might  remember  God.  And  when 
Laban  afterward  quarrelled  with  him,  he  set 
up  a  pile  of  stones,  and  they  ate  together  on 
them,  to  signify  peace  between  them. 

When  the  Israelites  were  travelling  to 
Canaan,  they  were  directed  by  God  to  punish 
those  who  did  very  wickedly,  by  stoning  them 
to  death. 

When  the  Israelites,  in  travelling  through  the 
desert,  became  very  thirsty,  God  told  Moses  to 
take  a  staff  and  strike  a  rock,  or  large  stone, 
and  the  water  ran  out,  and  they  all  drank. 

When  the  ten  commandments  were  given  to 
the  Israelites,  they  were  written  on  two  large 
tables  of  stone. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     125 

When  the  Israelites  walked  through  the  river 
Jordan,  and  the  water  stood  in  heaps  on  each 
side  of  them,  then  Joshua  who  led  them,  by  the 
command  of  the'Lord,  required  twelve  men  to 
take  each  a  stone  from  the  bottom  of  the  river, 
and  carry  them  to  the  land,  that  their  children 
might/when  they  saw  them,  remember  that  they 
had  walked  through  the  river  on  dry  land. 

It  was  with  a  smooth  stone  from  the  brook, 
that  David  killed  Goliah,  by  putting  it  in  a 
sling,  and  throwing  it  against  his  forehead. 

When  David,  who  became  a  great  man,  and 
a  king,  was  afterwards  hated  by  some  wicekd 
men,  they  threw  stones  at  him,  and  tried  to  kill 
him. 

When  Solomon,  David's  son,  became  king, 
he  built  a  splendid  temple,  and  had  great  stones 
cut  square  and  smooth,  to  build  it  with !  Our 
blessed  Saviour,  who  was  put  to  death  for  our 
sins,  was  laid  in  a  tomb  hewn  out  of  a  solid 
rock ;  a  great  stone  was  rolled  against  the  door 
to  keep  it  fast. 

Stones  have  been  used  for  a  great  many  other 
purposes,  which  I  cannot  stay  now  to  mention 
particularly.  They  are  chiefly  used  to  build  the 
foundations  of  houses,  and  sometimes  to  build 
whole  houses  with,  and  to  make  wells  and  walls. 
In  cities  they  pave  the  streets  with  them.  But 
sometimes,  my  little  children,  stones,  like  every 
good  thing  God  has  given  us,  are  used  for  a  bad 
purpose.  There  was  once  a  good  man,  who 
11* 


126     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

loved  the  Saviour,  and  tried  to  get  others  to  love 
him.  His  name  was  Stephen.  But  when  he 
told  them  about  the  kind  Saviour,  they  were 
angry  with  him,  and  gathered  around  him,  and 
threw  stones  at  him  till  they  killed  him.  He 
was  Ihe  first  of  many  martyrs.  Does  any  little 
boy  think  he  could  be  so  wicked  as  that?  Some 
boys  are  in  the  habit  of  throwing  stones  at  each 
other!  I  have  known  one  little  boy  kill  an- 
other in  that  way  !  I  have  seen  another  boy 
made  stone  blind  by  a  stone.  The  stone  hit 
one  eye  and  put  it  out,  and  then  the  other  be- 
came diseased,  and  finally  the  sight  left  it.  Re- 
member this,  my  dear  children,  for  what  you 
might  do  without  thinking,  may  make  you 
miserable  all  your  life  long. 

BEAUTIFUL  SWISS  CUSTOM. 
It  was  formerly  the  usage  of  the  Swiss  pea- 
santry to  watch  the  setting  sun,  until  he  had 
left  the  valleys  and  was  sinking  behind  the  ever 
snow-clad  mountains,  when  the  mountaineers 
would  seize  their  horns,  and  sing  through  the 
instruments,  "  Praise  the  Lord."  This  was 
caught  up  from  Alp  to  Alp  by  the  descendants 
of  Tell,  and  repeated  until  it  reached  the  valleys 
below.  A  solemn  silence  then  ensued  until  the 
last  trace  of  the  sun  disappeared,  when  the 
herdsman  on  the  top  sung  out,  "  Good  night," 
which  was  repeated  as  before,  until  every  one 
had  retired  to  his  resting  place. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     127 


EARLY  RISING. 

"  I  wonder  where  John  is,"  said  Mr.  Morton, 
as  he  took  his  seat  at  the  breakfast  table. 
"  Mary,  my  dear,  run  up  stairs,  and  see  if  he 
has  overslept  himself." 

"  I  am  sure  falher  need  not  wonder,"  whis- 
pered William  to  Mary,  as  she  rose  from  her 
seat.  Mary  laughed,  and  left  the  room ;  but 
she  soon  returned,  and  said,  with  a  look  of  sur- 
prise, "John  is  not  in  his  room,  father." 

"  Not  in  his  room  !"  cried  William,  a  bright, 
lively  boy  of  twelve.  "  I  fancy  this  is  the  first 
time  he  ever  was  out  of  it  at  this  time  in  the 
morning." 

"  You  know  he  always  gets  up  to  breakfast, 
William,"  said  Mary  who  generally  had  an 
excuse  ready  for  any  one  who  was  either  blamed 
or  laughed  at. 

"  Never  till  breakfast  is  on  the  table;  does 
he,  mother  1  but  here  he  comes." 

John  walked  into  the  room,  looking  rather 
more  sober  than  usual,  and  was  immediately 
assailed  with  questions  from  all  quarters. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Early  Riser ;  you  are 
really  beginning  to  deserve  your  title.  What 
time  did  you  get  up  this  morning  ?"  and  Wil- 
liam was  going  on,  but  he  was  stopped  by  a 
glance  from  his  mother,  which  he  knew  very 
well  how  to  interpret. 


128    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  John  took 
down  his  satchel,  and  swinging  it  over  his 
shoulder,  and  putting  his  cap  on  his  head,  call- 
ed to  William,  to  know  if  he  was  going  to 
school. 

William  actually  stared  at  him.  "  Hilloa, 
Johnny  !  What's  the  matter  with  you  this 
morning  ?  Yes,  I'll  go,  if  it  were  only  to  see 
how  astonished  the  boys  will  look,  to  see  you 
so  early,  and  wide  awake  too." 

How  far  William's  expectations  were  real- 
ized, I  will  not  stop  to  tell  you.  I  will  only 
say,  that  John  was  astonished  to  find  how  much 
he  enjoyed  the  play  before  school,  and  the  hard 
study  in  school.  To  be  sure,  the  latter  was 
rather  tedious  sometimes,  and  he  was  often 
tempted  to  lay  down  his  book  and  resort  to  cut- 
ting his  desk  with  his  penknife,  or  any  of  the 
thousand  amusements  of  idle  school  boys.  But 
he  did  not,  and  he  was  more  than  repaid  for  his 
self-denial,  by  the  consciousness  of  having  done 
right;  and  it  seemed  that  the  voice  of  the  mas- 
ter, saying,  "  You  have  done  very  well  to-day, 
master  John,"  was  the  pleasantest  he  ever 
heard. 

After  dinner,  he  was  about  to  throw  himself 
upon  the  sofa,  according  to  custom,  but  he 
checked  himself,  and  tried  to  think  of  some- 
thing which  he  could  do  to  help  his  mother. 
Just  at  that  moment  his  sister  Catharine,  a 
pretty  child  of  four  years,  asked  if  she  might  go 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     129 

out  into  the  garden.  Her  mother  told  her  that 
she  must  not  go  alone,  but  she  might  if  she 
could  persuade  her  brother  William  to  go  with 
her. 

"  I'll  go  with  Catharine,"  said  John ;  and 
soon  they  were  both  in  the  garden,  engaged  in 
play.  John  wTas  certainly  unusually  active. 
He  ran  races  with  her  in  the  paths,  picked  flow- 
ers for  her  from  the  beds,  tumbled  in  the  grass, 
and  hid  in  the  summer  house,  for  her  amuse- 
ment; and  when  they  went  into  the  house, 
with  their  cheeks  glowing  writh  the  exercise 
they  had  taken,  he  told  his  mother  that  he  never 
knew  before  how  well  Catharine  could  play. 

In  the  evening,  he  took  his  books,  and  sat 
down  to  his  lessons,  as  soon  as  the  tea  things 
were  removed,  instead  of  waiting,  as  usual,  un- 
til he  was  actually  commanded  to  do  so  by  his 
mother;  and  after  these  were  faithfully  learn- 
ed, he  enjoyed  his  play  for  half  an  hour  much 
more  than  usual.  It  was  noticed  that  at  pray- 
ers, he  was  much  more  attentive  than  usual, 
and  that  at  night  his  voice  joined  with  the  oth- 
ers in  singing  their  evening  hymn. 

From  that  day,  a  gradual,  but  decided  im- 
provement took  place  in  his  character.  Every 
morning  he  rose  at  an  early  hour  and  went  in- 
to the  garden,  not  to  appear  again  until  break- 
fast time.  This  excited  the  curiosity  of  the 
father  not  a  little  ;  but  he  would  ask  no  ques- 
tions, and  forbade  William  who  was  strongly 


130    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

inclined  to  follow  him,  for  the  purpose  of  find- 
ing out  his  secret,  to  trouble  his  brother  by  his 
curiosity;  and  the  employment  of  his  morning 
hours  remained  a  profound  secret. 

One  morning,  as  Mr.  Morton  was  pruning  a 
favorite  tree  in  one  corner  of  the  garden,  he 
saw  in  a  little  arbor,  which  was  seldom  visited 
by  any  of  the  family,  his  son.  He  hesitated 
whether  or  not  he  should  enter,  and  while  he 
was  doubting,  John  looked  up  and  saw  him : 

"Good  morning,  John,"  said  Mr.  Morton, 
"  you  see  I  have  found  out  your  secret.  Do 
you  come  here  to  study  or  to  read  V 

"  To  read,  father,"  said  John,  and  as  he  put 
the  book  he  had  been  reading  into  his  father's 
hands,  he  saw  it  was  the  Bible. 

"  I  see,  my  son,"  said  his  father,  "  I  see  now 
the  cause  of  the  improvement,  in  which  your 
mother  and  I  have  lately  rejoiced  ;  rejoiced 
with  trembling,  for  we  knew  not  that  you 
sought  strength  to  resist  temptation  from  the 
Giver  of  all  strength." 

"  O  father,"  said  John,  "  I  could  never  have 
been  preserved,  had  it  not  been  for  this  morn- 
ing hour.  When  I  was  tempted,  it  was  the 
thought  of  the  prayers  I  had  offered  here,  which 
reminded  me  to  seek  aid  from  God;  and  I  have 
here  learned  from  this  book,"  and  he  took  it 
from  his  father  as  he  spoke,  "  a  great  deal  that 
I  never  knew  before." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     131 

A  WISH. 
I  wish  I  was  a  little  bird, 

To  sing  among  the  trees; 
And  then  my  sweet,  heart-cheering  notes, 

Would  float  on  every  breeze. 

I  wish  I  was  a  flower  to  bloom, 
w      In  some  sequestered  glen, 

Where  I  could  spend  my  days  alone, 

Far  from  the  haunts  of  men. 
I  wish  I  was  a  lion  bold, 

Unknown  to  every  fear; 
Then  I  could  through  the  deserts  roam, 

That  now  to  me  are  drear. 
I  wish  I  was  a  butterfly, 

So  beautiful  and  fair; 
Then  o'er  the  meadows  I  would  roam, 

Free  from  foreboding  care. 
But  stop!  why  am  I  musing  thus, 

I'm  not  a  bird  or  fly, 
I  have  a  soul  within  this  frame, 

Destined  to  never  die. 
Yes!  yes!  I'm  of  a  nobler  race, 

Than  beast,  or  bird,  or  flower! 
That  live  but  for  a  day  or  so, 

Then  die  in  one  short  hour. 
Long  after  all  the  things  of  earth, 

Shall  fade  away  and  die, 
My  own  immortal  soul  will  lire, 

In  lands  beyond  the  sky. 


132    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

God  grant  that  I  may  be  prepared, 

To  spend  eternity, 
In  heaven  above,  where  I  shall  be, 

From  sin  and  sorrow  free. 


A  THRILLING  INCIDENT. 

A  few  years  since,  as  the  Rev.  Joseph  Davis, 
an  excellent  Baptist  minister  in  London,  was 
walking  along  one  of  the  crowded  streets  of  that 
city,  his  attention  was  arrested  by  the  circum- 
stance that  a  carriage  with  several  horses  was 
just  about  to  pass  over  a  little  girl  who  was  slow= 
]y  crossing  the  road.  He  strongly  felt  the  dan- 
ger of  the  child,  and  forgetting  his  own,  he  ran, 
snatched  her  up  in  his  arms,  and  hastened  with 
her  to  the  side  path,  when  the  thought  struck 
him,  what  would  the  parents  of  this  dear  child 
have  felt,  had  she  been  killed  1  At  this  mo- 
ment he  looked  in  the  face  of  the  little  girl, 
which  had  been  concealed  from  his  view  by  her 
bonnet ;  and  imagine  if  you  can,  what  his  feel- 
ings were  when  he  discovered  it  was  his  daugh- 
ter! I  saw  him  about  an  hour  after  the  occur- 
rence, and  I  shall  never  forget  his  agitation  as 
he  described  to  me  her  danger,  or  his  expres- 
sions of  thankfulness  to  an  infinitely  gracious 
Being,  who  thus  delivered  his  beloved  child  from 
death. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     133 


THE  FIRST  THEFT. 

.Mr.  Williamson  lived  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  village  in  which  his  son  Simon  attended 
school.  Mr.  Williamson  was  a  farmer,  and 
there  were  so  many  things  that  needed  atten- 
tion.^ that  he  required  Simon  to  come  home  as 
soon  as  school  was  out  to  assist  him.  Simon 
was  nearly  twelve  years  old  and  could  assist  his 
father  in  a  great  many  things.  It  was  true, 
that  the  village  boys  had  fine  times  playing  af- 
ter school  was  out,  and  it  would  no  doubt  have 
been  pleasant  for  him  to  stay  and  play  with 
them  ;  but  his  father  needed  him,  and  he  should 
have  cheerfully  conformed  to  his  father's  wish- 
es. But  he  did  not  do  so.  He  wished  he  could 
live  in  the  village.  Instead  pf  coming  directly 
home,  he  would  stop  a  moment  and  see  the 
boys  play,  and  then  run  and  make  up  for  lost 
time.  Then  he  would  play  with  them  for  a 
little  while,  and  make  it  up  by  running.  As 
you  would  naturally  expect,  his  "  little  whiles," 
would  become  longer  and  longer,  till  his  father 
found  it  necessary  to  call  him  to  account,  and 
threatened  to  punish  him.  This  brought  him 
up  to  the  mark  for  a  time,  but  he  soon  became 
negligent,  especially  at  such  times  as  his  father 
was  absent,  when  there  was  the  more  need  that 
Simon  should  be  home  in  season.  In  this  way 
he  strengthened  the  spirit  of  disobedience,  and 
the  power  of  sin  over  his  soul. 
12 


134    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

One  day  his  father  had  gone  away,  and  it  was 
expected  that  he  would  not  return  till  late  at 
night.  His  mother  told  Simon  to  remember 
that  his  father  was  not  at  home.  He  did  not 
fail  to  do  so,  though  he  made  quite  a  different 
use  of  the  remembrance,  from  that  which  his 
mother  expected.  He  took  occasion  to  stay 
after  school  and  "  enjoy  himself,"  as  he  said. 
But  as  it  often  happens,  when  people  anticipate 
enjoyment  in  a  course  of  transgression,  he  was 
disappointed.  The  village  boys  had  some  plans 
to  execute  in  which  they  did  not  wish  him  to 
participate.  After  advising  him  to  go  home, 
and  seeing  him  not  disposed  to  follow  their  ad- 
vice, they  ran  away  from  him.  He  was  foolish 
enough  to  follow  them  for  a  time  till  he  found 
he  could  not  overtake  them,  so  he  turned  aside 
and  went  into  a  new  store,  or  rather  a  building 
which  had  been  fitted  up  for  a  store,  though 
the  goods  which  were  to  be  placed  in  it  had 
not  yet  arrived.  There  was  no  person  in  the 
building  when  he  first  went  in,  but  as  he  was 
looking  around,  a  man  who  spent  most  of  his 
time  at  a  grog  shop  came  in,  and  asked  him 
what  he  was  doing  there.  "Nothing,"  said 
Simon,  "I  was  only  looking  round." 

"  You  go  over  to  the  store  yonder,  and  ask 
Mr.  Henry  to  lend  you  a  proof  glass." 

"I  don't  know  what  it  is." 

"No  matter,  he  will  know.  You  go  and 
get  it." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     135 

He  did  so.  He  found  it  was  a  small  glass 
with  a  string  around  its  neck.  Mr.  Short  look 
it,  and  knocking  out  the  bung  of  a  rum  cask 
that  lay  in  the  store,  let  the  glass  down,  and 
drew  it  out  full  of  rum.  He  did  so,  till  he  had 
filled  a  tumbler  half  full.  He  then  drank  it, 
and  offered  to  draw  some  up  for  Simon.  Simon 
did  not  wish  for  any,  though  it  was  before  tem- 
perance times. 

"Here  then,"  said  Mr.  Short,  "if  you  don't 
want  any  rum,  this  will  pay  you  for  getting  the 
glass."  So  saying,  he  handed  him  a  very  large 
apple  from  a  barrel  that  stood  under  the  coun- 
ter. Simon  wanted  it  very  much,  but  he  doubt- 
ed whether  Mr.  Short  had  any  right  to  give  it 
to  him.  He,  however,  took  it,  saying  to  him- 
self, "  he  must  bear  the  blame."  He  ate  part 
of  it,  while  Short  was  putting  the  cask  in  or- 
der. Hearing  some  one  coming,  he  thrust  it  in 
his  pocket.  No  one  came  in,  and  Short  was 
leaving  when  he  said,  "  May  I  have  another 
apple  V' 

"  They  don't  belong  to  me."  He  went  out, 
leaving  Simon  in  the  store.  After  a  great  ma- 
ny struggles  with  his  conscience,  he  went  to  the 
barrel,  put  an  apple  in  his  pocket  and  walked 
out.  It  was  the  first  theft  he  ever  committed. 
It  was  the  first  time  that  he  ever  knowingly, 
and  wilfully,  broke  the  eighth  commandment. 
It  was  the  longest  step  towards  ruin  that  he  had 
ever  taken.  Do  you  see  how  he  came  to  take 
it  ]     Try  to  find  out,  and  tell  us  to-morrow. 


136     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDEN.. 


THE  LITTLE  MATCH  GIRL. 

It  was  terribly  cold,  it  snowed,  and1  the 
evening  began  to  be  dark  ;  it  was  also  the  last 
evening  in  the  year,  New  Year's  Eve.  On  this 
dark,  cold  evening,  a  poor  little  girl  went  into 
the  street  with  bare  head  and  naked  feet.  It  is. 
true  she  had  shoes  on  when  she  went  from 
home,  but  of  what  use  were  they  %  They  were 
very  large  shoes,  her  mother  had  last  worm* 
them  ;  they  were  so  large ;  and  the  little  one 
lost  them  in  hurrying  over  the  street  as  two* 
carriages  passed  quickly  by.  One  shoe  was  not 
to  be  found,  and  the  other  a  boy  ran  away  withy 
saying  he  could  use  it  for  a  cradle  wliiea  he  got 
children  himself. 

The  little  ^irl  now  went  on  her  sma\)  naked 
feet,  which  were  red  and  blue  witb  cold.  She 
carried  a  number  of  matches  in  am  old  apron, 
and  held  one  bundle  in  her  hand.  No  one  had 
bought  of  her  the  whole  day,  no  oane  had  given 
her  a  farthing.  Poor  thing  !  she  was  hungry 
and  benumbed  with  cold,  and  looked  so  down- 
cast !  The  snow-flakes  fell  on  her  yellow  hairs 
which  curled  so  prettily  round  key  neek,  but 
she  did  not  heed  that. 

The  lights  shone  out  from  all  the  windows, 
and  there  was  such  a  delicious  smell  of  roast 
goose  in  the  street !  It  was  New  Yeay's  Eve, 
and  she  thought  of  that ! 


SELECT  STOEIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     137 

She  sat  down  in  a  corner  between  two  houses, 
the  one  stood  a  little  more  forward  in  the  street 
than  the  other,  and  drew  her  legs  up  under  her 
to  warm  herself,  but  she  was  still  colder,  and 
she  durst  not  go  home ;  she  had  not  sold  any 
matches  or  got  a  single  farthing  !  Her  father 
would  beat  her,  and  it  was  cold  at  home,  they 
had  only  the  roof  over  them,  and  there  the  winds 
whistled  in,  although  straw  and  rags  were 
stuffed  into  the  largest  crevices. 

Her  little  hands  were  almost  benumbed  with 
cold.  Ah  !  a  little  match  might  do  some  good 
durst  she  only  draw  one  out  of  the  bundles, 
strike  it  on  the  wall,  and  warm  her  fingers. 
She  drew  one  out,  ritch!  how  it  burnt !  it  was  a 
warm  flame  like  that  of  a  little  candle,  and  when 
she  held  her  hand  round  it,  it  was  a  strange 
light ! 

The  little  girl  thought  she  sat  before  a  large 
iron  stove  with  brass  balls  on  the  top  ;  the  fire 
burnt  so  nicely,  and  warmed  so  well.  Nay, 
what  was  that '?  The  little  girl  stretched  out 
her  feet  to  warm  them  too,  then  the  flame  went 
out,  the  stove  vanished,  she  sat  with  the  stump 
of  the  burnt  match  in  her  hand.  Another  was 
struck,  it  burnt,  it  shone  ;  and  where  the  light 
shone  upon  the  wall,  it  became  as  transpaient 
as  crape;  she  looked  directly  into  the  room, 
where  the  roasted  goose  stuffed  with  apples  and 
prunes  steamed  so  temptingly  on  the  table, 
which  was  laid  out  and  covered  with  a  shining 
12* 


138    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

white  cloth,  with  porcelain  service,  What  was 
still  more  splendid,  the  goose  sprang  off  the 
dish,  and  waddled  along  the  floor  with  knife 
and  fork  in  his  back ;  it  came  directly  up  to> 
the  poor  girl.  Then  the  match  went  out,  and 
there  was  only  the  thick  cold  wall  to  be  seen. 

She  struck  another  match.  Then  she  sat 
under  the  most  charming  Christmas  tree,  it  was 
still  larger  and  more  ornamented  than  that  she 
had  seen  through  the  glass  door  at  the  rich, 
merchant's  the  last  Christmas  ;  a  thousand 
candles  burnt  in  the  green  branches  ;  and  mot- 
ley pictures,  like  those  which  ornament  the 
shop  windows  looked  down  at  her.  The  little 
girl  lifted  up  both  her  hands,  then  the  match 
was  extinguished,  the  many  Christmas  candles 
rose  higher  and  higher,  she  saw  they  were 
bright  stars,  one  of  them  fell  and  made  a  fiery 
stripe  in  the  sky.  "  Now  one  dies,"  said  the 
poor  girl,  for  old  grandmother,  who  alone  had 
been  kind  to  her,  but  who  wTas  now  dead,  had 
told  her  that  when  a  star  falls,  a  soul  goes  up 
to  God! 

She  again  struck  a  match  against  the  wall, 
it  shone  all  around,  and  her  old  grandmother 
stood  in  the  lustre,  so  shining,  so  mild  and  bliss- 
ful. "  Grandmother  !"  exclaimed  the  little 
girl,  "  oh  !  I  know  you  will  be  gone  away  when 
the  match  goes  out,  like  the  warm  stove,  the 
delicious  roast  goose,  and  the  delightful  Christ- 
mas tree !"  and  she  struck  in  haste,  the  whole 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     139 

remainder  of  matches  that  was  in  the  bundle, 
she  would  not  lose  sight  of  grandmother,  and 
the  matches  shone  with  such  bri^ancy  that  it 
was  clearer  than  broad  daylight.  Grandmother 
had  never  before  looked  so  pretty,  so  great; 
she  lifted  the  poor  little  girl  in  her  arm  ,  and 
they  flew  so  high  in  splendor  and  joy,  and  there 
was  no  cold,  no  hunger,  no  anxiety,  they  were 
with  God. 

But  the  little  girl  sat  in  the  corner  by  the 
house,  in  the  cold  morning  hour,  with  red 
cheeks,  and  with  a  smile  round  her  mouth,  dead, 
frozen  to  death,  last  evening  of  the  old  year. 

New  Year's  morning  rose  over  the  little 
corpse  as  it  sat  with  the  matches,  of  which  a 
bundle  was  burnt.  She  had  been  trying  to 
warm  herself,  said  they !  But  no  one  knew 
what  beautiful  things  she  had  seen,  in  what 
splendor  and  gladness  she  had  entered  with  her 
old  grandmother  into  New  Year's  joys. 


140     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


SINKING  OF  SPRING  BIRDS. 
Sing"  away,  so  blithe  and  gay, 

Ye  feathered  little  tribe  ! 
Those  strains  so  sweet,  oft,  oft  repeat, 
They  bid  me  joy  imbibe — 

Chirp  and  sing,  'tis  merry  Spring", 
Giving  life  to  every  thing! 

Long,  too  long,  your  cheerful  song 

Hath  lingered  ere  it  came — 
The  winter  snow,  as  hence  it  goes, 
Gives  place  to  you  again. 

Sing,  ye  choir,  in  forests  there  I 
Chase  away  my  spirit's  care. 

Sweet  to  me's  your  harmony — 

All  hymning  forth  your  praise 
To  Him  above,  who  tuned  in  love 
Your  voices  thus  to  raise. 

Sing,  oh  sing — I  love  the  ringy 
Teaching  me  again  'tis  Spring. 

Oh,  that  soon  mankind  would  tune 

Their  hearts  in  praise  to  move 
Towards  Him  who  gave  us  all  we  have, 
And  taught  us  all  to  love  ! 
Sing,  ye  men,  in  union  then, 
Praising  God  from  hill  and  glen  I 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     141 

THE  SACRIFICES. 

"  Father,"  said  Albert,  one  morning  as  the 
former  was  slowly  folding  a  newspaper  which 
he  had  been  reading,  "  I  wish  you  would  let 
Joseph  Page  live  here,  and  go  to  school." 

"  Why  so,  my  son,"  inquired  his  falher. 

'\Because  I  know  that  he  wants  to  go  to 
school,  very  much.  He  is  always  trying  to 
learn  something,  and  if  he  goes  to  Mr.  Hardy's 
he  will  have  to  w7ork  on  the  farm  all  the  time, 
and  perhaps  never  go  to  school  at  all." 

"I  did  not  know  Mr.  Hardy  wanted  him." 

"Yes,  he  does.  Joseph  told  me  yesterday 
that  he  had  asked  him  to  work  on  his  farm,  and 
promised  to  give  him  his  board  and  clothing  in 
return.  He  seemed  to  think  it  a  very  good 
offer.  But  I  want  him  to  live  somewhere  else, 
at  some  place  where  he  can  have  time  to  go  to 
school." 

"And  I  too  should  like  to  have  Joseph  Page 
enjoy  the  advantages  of  a  school.  He  is  a 
good,  faithful  boy.  But  I  cannot  afford  to 
board  and  clothe  him  without  any  remunera- 
tion." 

"But,  father,"  said  Albert,  "he  could  do  a 
great  many  little  jobs  which  you  now  have  oone 
for  hire.  He  could  work  a  great  deal  for  you 
between  schools." 

"  I  don't  know  about  boys  working  between 
schools,"  said  his  father,  glancing  suspiciously 


142    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

from  the  study  window,  in  the  direction  of  a 
large  pile  of  chips  which  lay  in  the  yard. 

Albert  understood  the  look,  and  his  face  red- 
dened as  he  said,  "  I  have  been  meaning  these 
two  days  to  get  the  chips  into  the  wood-house, 
but  something  has  always  seemed  to  happen  as 
soon  as  I  was  ready  to  begin.  Besides,  you 
did  not  tell  me  to  do  it  immediately." 

"  I  know  that  I  did  not,"  said  his  father.  e<  I 
wished  to  see  how  you  would  manage  if  I  left 
to  your  own  judgment  the  proper  time  for  the 
work.  I  supposed  that  you  would  be  several 
days  finishing  it,  but  thought  you  would  have 
begun  before  now.  If  my  son  manifests  no  de- 
sire to  please  his  father  by  promptly  performing 
what  he  requests,  ought  I  to  expect  faithfulness 
from  a  stranger?  " 

Albert's  countenance  fell.  He  was  sorry  and 
ashamed ;  but  presently  he  said  :  "  I  will  begin 
on  the  chips  this  very  morning.  But,  father, 
Joseph  Page  is  better  than  I  am.  I  believe  if 
he  had  been  in  my  place,  he  would  have  got 
them  in  at  once." 

"  Spoken  like  an  honest,  candid  boy,"  said 
his  father.  "You  are  convinced  of  your  fault, 
and  I  hope  you  will  not  be  slow  to  cure  it.  On 
the  whole,  I  think  I  will  take  Joseph  Page, 
provided  you  are  willing  to  assist  me  in  sup- 
porting him." 

"  Why,  father,  how  can  I  help  you?  I  have 
nothing  but  my  pocket  money.     You  may  have 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     143 

that,  but  it  is  so  little.  I  have  only  seventeen 
cents  now." 

"  It  was  not  your  pocket  money  that  I  was 
thinking  of,  my  son.  There  are  several  ways 
in  which  you  can  assist  my  present  purpose, 
but  it  will  be  at- some  personal  inconvenience." 

"  Well,  I  hope  I  shouldn't  mind  that,"  said 
Albert.     "  Do  tell  me  what  I  can  do." 

"  In  the  first  place,  you  must  try  to  do  with 
fewer  things  than  you  have  been  accustomed 
to  have.  You  asked  me  for  a  new  cap  the 
other  day,  like  your  cousin  John's." 

"  0  yes,  I  remember.  I  begin  to  understand 
you  now,  father.  I  can  make  my  old  one  do, 
and  so  I  will.  I  know  sister  Mary  will  fix  it 
a  little  for  me.     She's  nice  at  fixing  up  things." 

"And  there  is  the  small  book-cuse  you  were 
wishing  me  to  purchase  for  you." 

"01  can  make  the  old  shelves  do  for  my 
books." 

"And  the  dog  which  you  have  been  wanting 
so  long,  and  which  I  promised  yesterday  to  buy 
for  you." 

Albert  felt  rather  sad  as  he  thought  of  a  little 
dog  which  he  had  already  begun  to  consider 
his  own.  As  soon  as  his  lather  had  agreed  to 
make  the  purchase  for  him,  he  had  called  a 
cabinet  council,  consisting  of  Mary,  Charlie, 
and  himself,  to  decide  upon  the  name  of  the 
expected  pet;  and  the  antics  which  it  was  sup- 
posed Fido  would  perform,  when  an  inmate  of 


144    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

his  new  home,  had  already  excited  the  mirth  of 
the  trio. 

At  first,  when  his  father  spoke  about  the  dog, 
Albert  did  not  feel  quite  willing  to  give  him  up. 
But  the  struggle  was  soon  over,  and  with  a 
happy  feeling  in  his  heart,  whieh  a  selfish  boy 
or  man  might  have  envied,  he  said :  "  I  will 
give  Fido  up,  father,  I  am  sure  that  I  can  do 
without  him  better  than  Joseph  Page  can  With- 
out schooling." 

"  You  have  made  quite  a  sacrifice,  my  son," 
said  his  father,  looking  much  pleased.  "And 
you  shall  yourself  have  the  pleasure  of  telling 
Joseph  Page  that  he  is  to  go  to  school." 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you,  father,"  said  Albert, 
as  he  bounded  from  the  room  to  share  the  good 
news  with  Mary  and  Charlie. 


FUN. 

It  was  Wednesday,  a  holiday,  and  the  scho- 
lars who  attended  the  district  school  came  pour- 
ing out  at  twelve  o'clock,  ready  for  any  kind 
of  fun;  some  pushed  each  other  into  snow 
banks,  others  pelted  their  companions  with 
snow-balls,  while  others  still,  went  to  untie 
their  sleds  from  the  fence  where  they  kept  them 
during  school  hours.  There  was  such  a  noise, 
such  cheering  and  hallooing,  that  Mrs.  Green, 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     145 

(an  old  lady  who  lived  near,  and  who  was  not 
remarkable  for  her  amiability ;)  looked  out  of 
the  window,  and  declared  that  "  such  rude  and 
ill-behaved  boys  were  never  seen;  when  she 
was  a  girl,  children  were  not  allowed  to  behave 
so ;  but  now-a-days,  neither  parents,  nor  mas- 
ters, had  any  government  over  them  ;  and  for 
her  part,  if  no  one  else  complained  of  the  school 
boys,  she  would." 

"  Bear !  yes,"  said  one  of  the  boys  to  his 
companion,#it  wTould  bear  an  ox-team;  if  you 
want  good  fun,  this  is  the  time  for  it." 

"  What  fun  are  you  planning  now  V  asked 
William,  who  had  overheard  the  conversation, 
and  who  was  just  emerging  from  a  snow-bank, 
into  which  he  had  been  plunged  by  a  school- 
mate not  nearly  as  large  as  himself. 

"  W^e're  going  skating  this  afternoon,"  re- 
plied the  boy,  "  on  Harper's  pond ;  the  ice  is 
several  inches  thick ;  come,  you  will  go  with  us." 

William  left  off  shaking  his  cap  and  jacket, 
(which  were  covered  with  snow,)  and  looked  a 
little  sober. 

"  It  is  too  bad,"  said  he,  "  but  I  have  lost  my 
skates." 

"  Lost  your  skates  !" 

"  Yes ;  they  have  been  missing  for  a  week, 
and  I  suspect  they  have  been  stolen  ;  besides," 
continued  he,  "  I  am  sorry  that  you  are  all  going 
off,  for  I  am  building  a  famous  snow- hut  in  my 
yard,  and  shall  want  some  one  to  help  me." 
13 


146     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  Oh  !  but  we  cannot  give  up  the  skating 
party,"  returned  the  other,  "  for  perhaps  we 
shall  not  have  another  such  good  opportunity 
this  winter." 

During  this  conversation,  the  noise  of  voices 
had  abated,  and  now  only  a  solitary  call  was 
occasionally  heard  in  the  distance.  Mrs.  Green 
again  resumed  her  knitting  work,  and  Wil- 
liam with  his  little  school-mate,  walked  slowly 
away. 

"  J  shall  have  to  build  my  hut  £lone,"  said 
William. 

William's  was  one  of  those  easy,  good-natured 
dispositions,which  never  make  mountains  of  mole 
hills,  which  always  look  upon  the  bright  side  of 
things,  and  are  ever  ready  to  perform  a  kind 
action;  he  and  Edward  did  very  well  for  as- 
sociates, though  there  was  such,  a  difference  in 
their  ages,  as  their  dispositions  were  somewhat 
alike.  Edward  was  a  little  fellow,  only  eight 
years  old,  and  had  been  brought  up  by  pious 
and  judicious  parents.  Like  all  children,  he 
possessed  a  wicked  heart,  but  under  their  teach- 
ing, had  learned  to  control  his  temper  and  sel- 
fishness ;  he  had  never  attended  school  before, 
and,  at  first,  felt  like  quite  a  stranger  among  so 
many  great  boys;  but  William's  good  nature 
would  not  see  him  neglected,  or  treated  rudely, 
so  they  became  great  frieuds. 

Edward's  mother  had  been  afraid  to  let  him 
skate,  but  his  father  had  been  to  the  pond  and 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     147 

affirmed  that  the  ice  was  hard  enough,  so  the 
skates  were  bought,  and  Edwatd  anticipated 
much  pleasure  in  using  them. 

The  thought  entered  his  mind,  to  give  up  his 
skating  that  afternoon,  and  join  William  in  his 
yard ;  but  then,  he  had  seen  snow  huts,  many 
a  time,  (though  he  had  never  assisted  in  build- 
ing one,)  and  he  had  never  been  on  a  skating- 
party;  he  walked  along  in  silence  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  concluded  to  go  with  Wil- 
liam. 

"  I  have  concluded  not  to  skate,  to-day,  mam- 
ma,'' said  he,  at  the  dinner  table. 

"  Indeed,  my  son,  what  could  have  induced 
you  to  give  up  a  pleasure  which  you  have  so 
long  wished  for  ?" 

Edward  replied  that  he  was  going  to  play 
with  William. 

Mrs.  Seymour,  in  reality,  felt  glad,  for  she 
was  still  uneasy  about  his  going  to  the  pond. 

Edward  looked  wishfully  at  the  new  skates, 
as  they  hung  in  the  entry.  "  But/'  thought  he, 
"William  will  be  all  alone,  if  I  do  not  stay  with 
him." 

At  night,  Edward  came  home  excited  with 
the  pleasure  he  had  enjoyed ;  and  at  eight 
o'clock,  when  his  mother  came  to  bid  him 
"  good  night,"  as  he  lay  in  his  crib,  he  clasped 
his  arms  round  her  neck,  drew  her  Tace  down 
to  his,  and  whispered,  "  Now,  mamma,  I  will 
tell  you  why  I  did  not  go  skating  this  after- 


148     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

noon,"  and  after  Edward  had  told  the  story, 
and  received  his  mother's  approbation,  he  was 
happier  than  if  he  had  attended  all  the  skating 
parties  in  the  world. 

The  next  day,  the  snow  hut  was  visited  and 
praised  by  almost  every  boy  in  town  ;  and  for 
three  whole  weeks,  it  remained  the  prettiest  hut 
any  wThere  to  be  found,  till  the  January  thaw 
demolished  it. 

William  and  Edward  became  still  dearer 
friends  than  they  were  before. 

A  year  passed.  Edward  was  nine  years  old  ; 
he  had  grown  some,  but  was  still  small  of  his 
age ;  he  still  continued  to  attend  school,  but, 
sad  to  tell,  had  grown  rather  rude ;  his  kind 
mother  was  exceedingly  troubled  to  find  him 
less  gentle  and  yielding  than  formerly ;  to  be 
sure,  if  he  was  doing  wrong  in  her  presence,  a 
glance  from  her  eye^would  restore  his  right 
feelings ;  but  when  away  from  her,  he  had  no- 
thing to  remind  him  of  duty,  but  his  conscience; 
and  he  did  not  always  obey  when  she  spoke. 

He  was  perfectly  frank,  and  scorned  the  idea 
of  telling  a  lie;  and  he  would  not  swear,  but 
he  indulged  in  uttering  certain  coarse  expres- 
sions, which  once  he  would  never  have  thought 
of  doing  ;  in  short,  he  was  becoming  greatly 
injured  under  the  influence  of  certain  school- 
boys ;  but  occasionally  the  image  of  his  mo- 
ther would  rise  to  his  mind,  when  he  was  in- 
dulging in  any  known  sin,  and  the  early  impres- 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     149 

sions  he  had  received  from  her,  were,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  the  means  of  keeping  him  from 
gross  misconduct. 

"  Come,  Edward,"  said  one  of  his  acquaint- 
ances, one  day,  "  1  know  of  some  capital  fun 
for  this  afternoon." 

"  What  is  it  ?"  asked  Edward. 

"  Little  George  West,"  replied  the  boy,  "  has 
been  making  a  snow  hut,  out  before  his  house, 
and  I  move  that  you  and  I  go  and  tear  it  clown." 

"  Agreed,"  replied  Edward,  and  away  they 
went  to  Mr.  WTest's  house  ;  there  stood  the  hut ; 
the  boys  entered,  and  examined  it,  and  then 
commenced  their  work  of  destruction  ;  in  a  few 
moments,  the  pretty  little  snow  hut  was  leveled 
with  the  ground;  and  then  Edward  and  his 
companion  turned  into  another  street,  and  walk- 
ed away. 

Towards  evening,  they  returned  home  by  the 
same  road.  As  they  approached  Mr.  West's 
house,  they  saw  George  and  his  father  examin- 
ing the  fallen  hut ;  George  was  crying  ;  and  in 
a  few  minutes  they  both  entered  the  house. 

"  I  declare,  Jim,"  said  Edward,  "  it  was  too 
bad  ;  I  wish  we  had  let  his  hut  alone  ;  it  did 
us  no  good  to  tear  it  down." 

Jim  called  him  a  minister;  but  Edward  was 
by  this  time  too  sorrowful  to  care  for  his  rail- 
lery. 

That  night,  when  Mrs.  Seymour  came  to  see 
if  her  son  was  warm  in  bed,  he  told  her  the 
13* 


150     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

whole  story,  and  she  was  so  grieved,  that^Ed- 
ward  regretted  more  deeply  than  before,  his 
unkind  act ;  he  recollected  all  the  pleasure  he 
had  taken,  just  a  year  before,  in  making  a  snow 
hut  for  the  first  time,  "  and  never,  mamma," 
said  he,  sobbing,  "  wilFl  be  so  unjust  again." 
Mrs.  Seymour  kissed  her  son  affectionately  ;  it 
was  so  long  since  he  had  unbosomed  himself  to 
his  mother,  (for  lately  he  had  not  confided  in 
her  as  formerly,)  that  a  feeling  of  peace  stole 
over  him  the  next  day,  he  went  to  George  and 
helped  him  make  another  snow-hut,  more  beau- 
tiful than  the  first. 

Which,  my  little  readers,  do  you  think  was 
the  best  kind  of  fun  ;  that  which  Edward  en- 
joyed in  giving  up  his  own  pleasure  to  oblige  a 
school  mate,  or  that  in  which  he  partook,  in 
distressing  and  unjustly  treating  a  companion  7 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     151 


EARLY  MORNING  RAMBLE. 

How  sweet  the  hour 

When  bird  and  flower 
Invite  our  steps  abroad; 

When  Nature's  voice 

Bids  us  rejoice, 
And  lift  our  hearts  to  God. 

The  robin  now 

On  yonder  bough 
Pours  forth  a  joyous  strain; 

While  lowing-  ox 

And  bleating  flocks 
Are  heard  along  the  plain. 

In  every  breeze 

That  fans  the  trees 
There  lurks  a  soothing  power, 

And  hope  and  joy 

Without  alloy 
Inspire  the  gladsome  hour. 

Then  let  us  haste 

Pure  joys  to  taste 
Abroad,  at  twilight  grey3 

And  far  we'll  roam, 

Nor  think  of  home 
Till  peers  the  king  of  day. 


152    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


THE  GARDEN. 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  a  story,  Mary," 
said  little  Charlie,  in  a  feeble  tone  of  voice,  as 
he  was  lying  quietly  upon  the  sofa. 

Charlie  had  been  sick  for  several  days.  He 
was  now  some  better,  but  still  felt  quite  weak 
and  languid.  He  had  been  trying  to  play  a 
little,  and  was  "  very  tired,"  as  he  said.  So 
his  sister  advised  him  to  lie  down  and  rest.  She 
had  drawn  her  chair  near  the  sofa,  so  that  when 
the  little  boy  looked  up,  he  could  see  that  she 
was  by  him,  for  she  knew  that  children  when 
they  are  unwell,  sometimes  feel  lonely. 

She  smiled,  when  Charlie  asked  her  "to  tell 
a  story,"  and  said  : 

"  I  don't  think  of  any  new  story  now,  dear, 
but  I  will  tell  you  something  about  a  pleasant 
garden,  which  I  think  will  interest  you." 

"  Yes,  that  will  do,"  said  Charlie!  So  Mary 
went  on  to  say  : 

"A  great  and  good  king  once  made  a  very 
large  and  beautiful  garden.  He  wanted  every 
body  that  walked  in  it  to  be  very  happy,  so  he 
planted  it  with  the  most  fragrant  flowers,  and 
the  richest  fruits.  To  please  different  tastes, 
he  determined  that  it  should  contain  every  va- 
riety of  soil,  and  he  easily  accomplished  this 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     153 

by  some  wonderful  process,  which  no  one  but 
himself  has  ever  been  able  to  discover.  And 
what  perhaps  is  more  wonderful  still,  he  created 
as  many  different  climates,  as  there  were  soils. 
And  he  planted  in  each  of  these  different  soils, 
different  kinds  of  beauteous  flowers,  and  juicy 
fruits,  and  nourishing  grain,  so  that  the  produc- 
tions of  this  garden  were  almost  infinite  in  va- 
riety. And  he  took  great  care  of  the  garden, 
always  watering  it  in  due  season,  and  neglect- 
ing nothing  necessary  to  its  cultivation.  He 
employed  a  great  many  to  work  under  his  di- 
rections, in  dressing  and  keeping  it,  but  he  was 
himself  the  head  gardener.  He  superintended 
every  thing.  He  was  never  slothful  nor  weary. 
He  knew  that  without  his  constant  superintend- 
ing care,  the  garden  would  soon  run  to  waste, 
that  there  would  be  no  more  "  seed  time  nor 
harvest,"  and  he  never  for  a  moment  withdrew 
that  care.  So,  except  where  the  under-gar- 
deners  failed  to  observe  his  directions,  it  was 
always  in  good  order,  its  soil  continually  grow- 
ing richer,  and  its  productions  improving." 

Here  Mary  stopped  speaking,  and  Charlie 
who  had  been  listening  very  attentively,  half 
raised  himself  on  his  elbow,  and  said  : 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,  sister.  The  gar- 
den is  our  earth,  and  the  good  King  who  made 
it,  and  who  takes  care  of  it,  is  God." 


154    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


WILLY  GRAHAM. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graham  lived  in  a  beautiful 
village  on  the  bank  of  the  very  prettiest  lake  I 
ever  saw.  The  water  of  this  lake  was  clear  as 
a  crystal,  and  so  deep  that  it  was  a  very  rare 
thing  for  it  to  freeze  over  ;  but  as  the  winter  of 
which  I  am  going  to  tell  you  was  unusually 
cold,  there  was  more  ice  on  the  lake  than  had 
been  seen  there  for  many  years.  There  were  a 
great  many  young  men  and  boys  in  this  village, 
as  there  was  a  college  there  and  several  schools. 
Willy  Graham  was  the  only  child  left  to  his 
parents  out  of  a  family  of  five,  and  of  course 
they  cherished  him  with  peculiar  care,  and  his 
mother  was  always  anxious  and  uneasy  if  he 
was  long  out  of  her  sight. 

One  morning,  Willy  came  running  in  to  his 
mother,  wrapped  up  in  his  coat  and  tippet  and 
mittens,  and  his  warm  fur  cap  on  his  head,  his 
handsome  face  all  in  a  glow ;  and  almost  breath- 
less with  running,  he  cried  out,  "  Oh,  mother, 
will  you  not  let  me  go  down  on  the  ice  this 
morning  ?  The  lake  is  covered  with  thick  ice 
for  half  a  mile  out,  and  the  students  and  all  the 
boys  in  the  village  are  down  there  skating  and 
sliding." 

"  No,  my  son,"  said  his  mother,  "I  cannot 
let  you  go.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  ice  is 
safe  or  not,  and  your  father  charged  me  before 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     155 

he  left  home,  not  to  allow  you  to  go  on  the 
lake  at  all.  Wait  till  he  comes  home,  and  he 
will  go  with  you  and  show  you  where  there  is 
ice  that  is  safe.  There  are  plenty  of  ponds 
where  you  can  enjoy  yourself  quite  as  well  as 
on  the  lake ;  besides,  Willy,  )Ou  know  you 
have  no  skates  yet." 

I  am  sorry  to  say  that  Willy  went  away  look- 
ing very  cross  and  muttering  to  himself;  but  as 
his  mother  had  never  known  him  to  disobey 
her,  she  sat  at  her  sewing  perfectly  easy  about 
him. 

And  Willy  had  no  intention  of  disobeying  his 
mother  when  he  left  the  house;  but  he  had 
some  very  wicked,  sinful  thoughts  in  his  heart ; 
and  he  was  angry  at  his  mother,  and  felt  as  if 
she  was  not  so  indulgent  to  him  as  the  parents 
of  the  other  boys  were  to  their  sons. 

He  took  his  sled  and  began  to  ride  down  a 
little  hill  by  the  side  of  his  father's  house,  but 
he  soon  grew  tired  of  sliding  there  alone,  and 
he  wandered  outside  the  gate  and  up  the  street 
on  the  bank  of  the  lake,  which  was  high  above 
the  water,  dragging  his  sled  after  him.  And 
here  he  stood  and  watched  the  boys,  who  were 
skating  and  sliding,  and  as  he  heard  their  merry 
shouts  he  wished  himself  among  them,  and 
again  he  thought  that  it  was  very  hard  that  he 
was  not  allowed  to  go. 

Soon  he  came  to  an  easy  path  leading  down 
to  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  he  thought  he 


156     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

would  just  go  down  and  take  a  nearer  view  of 
their  sports.  When  he  got  down  there,  he 
stood  on  the  shore  so  near  the  ice  that  he  could 
touch  it  with  his  foot,  and  he  thought  to  him- 
self, "  it  looks  just  as  firm  as  the  ground  I  stand 
on,  and  why  might  I  not  as  well  be  there  en- 
joying myself,  as  standing  here  alone,  and  look- 
ing on." 

Just  then  a  group  of  boys  came  along  very 
near  the  shore,  some  on  skates,  and  some  on 
sleds. 

"  Come,  Willy  Graham  !  why  do  you  not 
come  en  the  ice  1     Oh,  it  goes  so  fine." 

"  Oh,  I  do  not  know,"  answered  Willy,  with 
an  air  of  indifference. 

"  He  is  afraid,"  said  one  boy. 

"  No,  I  am  not  afraid,"  answered  Willy. 

"  Why  do  you  not  come  then  ?"  said  a  large 
good-natured  boy.  "Here,  give  me  hold  of 
your  rope,  Willy,  and  we  will  be  over  there  at 
the  store  house  in  no  time." 

"  No,"  said  Willy,  putting  his  hands  in  his 
pockets,  "  I  guess  I  will  not  go  on  the  ice  this 
morning." 

Still  afraid  of  disobeying  his  mother,  and  yet 
disobeying  her  in  his  heart  all  the  time,  for  he 
was  wishing  very  much  to  go. 

"  I  know  now,"  said  an  ugly  looking  boy, 
"  what  is  the  matter  with  him  ;  he  is  afraid  of 
his  mother.  Before  I  would  be  afraid  of  what 
a  woman  says  !     What  do  women  know  about 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     157 

ce  ?  Is  it  not  just  as  safe  here  as  where  you 
are  !  But  go  home,  baby,  do  ;.  and  tie  yourself 
to  mother's  apron  strings.  Had  not  some  one 
better  carry  you.  for  you  might  fall  down,  and 
then  mother  would  cry." 

The  boys  all  set  up  a  shout  of  laughter  at 
this  foolish  attempt  at  wit,  and  Willy's  feeble 
resolution  gave  way  before  the  voice  of  ridicule. 
He  reddened  up  and  stepped  boldly  on  the  ice. 

Mrs.  Graham  sat  at  her  sewing  for  an  hour 
or  two,  never  dreaming  of  her  little  boy's  diso- 
bedience, but  ever  mindful  of  his  happiness. 

At  length  she  began  to  think  it  was  time  for 
Willy  to  come  in,  and  as  one  half  hour  alter 
another  went  by  and  he  did  not  come,  she  soon 
began  to  feel  uneasy,  for  it  was  very  unusual  for 
him  to  stay  away  from  home  so  long  at  a  time. 

Presently  the  door  opened,  and  in  ran  Willy 
as  pale  as  death,  and  threw  himself  on  his 
knees  before  his  mother.  "  Oh,  mother,  dear 
mother,"  said  he,  '-'I  have  disobeyed  you,  I 
have  been  on  the  ice;"  and  as  he  saw  the 
amazed  and  grieved  expression  of  his  mother's 
face,  and  that  she  was  about  to  speak,  he  cried, 
"  Do  not  speak  to  me,  mother,  do  not  say  one 
word,  please,  till  I  tell  you  all,  and  then  ycu 
may  punish  me  just  as  severely  as  you  like." 

Willy  then  told,  in  a  hasty  manner,  and  with- 
out attempting  to  conceal  or  excuse  any  part  of 
his  fault,  the  whole  story  of  his  disobedience. 

"  But,  oh,  dear  mother,"  said  he,  "  you  were 
right  about  the  ice,  as  you  always  are  about 
14 


158    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

every  thing  ;  and  1  have  seen  the  most  dreadful 
sight !  Oh !  I  shall  never  forget  it.  As  we 
were  all  sliding  about,  I  noticed  that  two  of  the 
students  went  far  out  beyond  the  rest,  and  so 
far  that  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  skating  on 
the  smooth  water,  the  ice  was  so  perfectly  clear ; 
one  of  them  was  a  kind,  pleasant  looking  young 
gentleman,  who  had  been  drawing  my  sled  for 
me  part  of  the  time. 

"  Well,  after  a  while,  they  started  to  come 
in,  and  I  did  not  notice  them  any  more  till  I 
heard — oh  !  such  dreadful  screams  !  and  look- 
ing at  the  place  where  they  had  been,  one  of 
the  young  men  had  disappeared,  while  the  oth- 
er was  shouting  and  waving  his  cap,  and  the 
boys  in  all  directions  wrere  hurrying  to  the  spot. 
The  boy  who  was  drawing  my  sled  started  and 
ran  there  too,  dragging  me  after  him;  and  when 
we  got  near  the  place,  we  saw  the  same  young 
man,  who  I  told  you  had  been  drawing  me, 
struggling  in  the  water  and  trying  to  climb  up 
on  the  ice.  Oh,  mother,  what  a  sight  it  was ! 
The  ice  about  him  was  very  thin,  and  as  he 
pressed  his  hand  upon  the  edge  it  crumbled 
away,  and  none  of  the  young  men  could  get 
near  enough  to  take  hold  of  him  for  the  ice  was 
cracking  under  their  feet.  Some  of  them  lay 
down  and  threw  him  one  end  of  their  handker- 
chiefs, and  at  last  he  managed  to  stand  up  on 
the  ice,  then  all  the  boys  gave  a  great  shout 
for  they  thought  he  was  safe,  but  he  broke 
through  again  in  a  minute,  and,  mother,  I  shall 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     159 

never  forget  the  look  of  his  face  as  he  went 
down  that  last  time.  I  suppose  he  was  so  cold 
and  stiff  that  he  could  not  do  much  to  save  him 
self  that  time,  for  he  soon  sunk  back  and  went 
down  slowly  in  the  cold  water. 

"  Some  people  came  out  from  the  shore  with  a 
boat  and  some  grappling  hooks,  and  they  pushed 
the  boat  into  the  water,  and  brought  up  the  body." 
And  Willy  laid  his  head  in  his  mother's  lap  and 
sobbed  as  though  his  heart  would  break. 

His  mother  laid  her  hand  on  his  head,  but  she 
did  not  speak,  for  her  own  heart  was  full,  and 
she  thought  she  would  leave  Willy  to  his  own 
reflections  for  a  while. 

At  last  he  raised  his  head  and  said,  "Mother, 
I  think  I  should  have  told  you  how  wicked  I 
had  been  in  disobeying  you,  even  if  this  had  not 
happened,  for  I  never  should  have  felt  easy  till 
you  knew  all  and  had  forgiven  me." 

His  mother  stooped  down  and  kissed  his  fore- 
head, and  said,  "I  do  forgive  you,  my  son,  be- 
cause I  believe  you  are  sincerely  sorry  for  your 
faults.  But  there  is  another  against  whom  you 
have  sinned,  and  who  has  spared  your  life  in 
the  midst  of  danger,  and  while  you  were  break- 
ing one  of  his  commandments  which  tells  you 
to  honor  and  obey  your  parents.  Let  us  kneel, 
my  son,  and  pray  to  God  to  forgive  you,  too." 

And  while  they  prayed,  Willy  made  the  res- 
olution that,  with  God's  help,  he  would  never 
behave  so  wickedly  again. 


160    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


TO  A  LITTLE  GIRL  GATHERING  FLOWERS. 
Gather  thy  bright  flowers,  sweet  one, 

Ere  their  deep  hue  fadeth; 
Bind  them  on  thy  sunny  brow, 

Ere  care's  dial  shndeth — 
Youth  to  youth,  and  joy  to  joy, 

Nought  know  they  of  sadness; 
Sunshine,  dew,  and  pleasant  showers, 

Make  their  life  of  gladness. 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     161 

Bind  them  on  thy  brow,  sweet  one, 

Kindly  they  will  tell  thee 
How  life's  blighting  winds  to  shun, 

Should  dear  hope  repel  (hee; 
They  will  bid  thee  meekly  how, 

When  the  storm  is  o'er  thee; 
To  raise  unbroken  when  ag'ain 

Life's  sunshine  flits  before  thee. 


THE  TROMISE. 

Little  John,  who  had  been  sent  of  an  errand 
to  the  neighboring  town,  when  he  came  back 
to  the  hollow  tree,  sat  down  on  one  of  the  large 
twisted  roots  which  curl  up  above  ground,  and 
waited  for  his  father  who  had  promised  to  meet 
him  there.  The  church  clock  struck  five,  but 
his  father  did  not  come.  It  struck  six,  and  still 
he  sat  alone  on  the  root  of  the  tree.  Seven  o' 
clock  struck,  and  no  father  came.  One  or  two 
persons,  finding  little  John,  sitting  by  himself, 
tried  to  persuade  him  to  make  the  best  of  his 
way  home,  but  in  vain.  "  He  promised,"  said 
little  John,  "  and  I  know  he  will  keep  his 
word."  Soon  after  this,  the  father  arrived.  0 
that  we  could  all  say  of  our  heavenly  Father, 
with  as  much  faith  as  little  John  said  of  his 
earthly  one,  "  He  promised,  and  I  know  that 
he  will  keep  his  word  I" 

14* 


162     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 


I  HAVE  LOST  IT. 

"  I  have  lost  it,"  said  Charles  as  he  came  into 
the  house  with  a  very  sad  countenance. 

"  What  have  you  lost?"  said  his  father. 

"*My  knife — that  beautiful  knife  that  uncle 
Philip  gave  me.  I  have  looked  every  where 
for  it  and  I  can't  find  it,  and  1  shall  never  see  it 
again." 

"  Didn't  you  see  it  under  the  barn?"  said  his 
father. 

"  Under  the  barn  !  Is  it  likely  that  my  knife 
is  under  the  barn?" 

"  No  I  don't  think  it  is  ;  but  as  you  said  you 
had  looked  every  where  for  it,  you  must,  of 
course,  have  looked  under  the  barn." 

"  I  didn't  mean  every  where." 

"  I  l^new  you  did  not ;  but  you  said  so.  Boys 
should  always  say  what  they  mean.  Have  you 
looked  in  your  pockets?" 

"No  sir,  but  I  have  felt  in  them." 

"  1  knew  a  boy  once,  whd  made  a  great  out- 
cry about  losing  his  pencil,  and  when  he  was 
made  to  unload  his  pockets,  he  found  it." 

Charles  well  knew  who  that  boy  was,  and 
proceeded  to  imitate  his  example.  He  had  a 
foolish  habit,  which  some  contract,  of  stuffing 
his  pockets  with  a  great  variety  of  useless  or 
unnecessary  things.  He  began  to  unload  one 
pocket.     He  first  took  out  some  birch  bark, 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     163 

then  a  leathern  string,  then  a  ball  of  twine, 
then  a  piece  of  india  rubber,  then  a  crooked 
stick,  then  a  small  gimblet,  then  a  quantity  of 
tow,  then  two  or  three  knife  handles  without 
any  blades,  then  a  fish-line,  then  some  parched 
corn  and  beech-nuts  mingled  together.  It  was 
pretty  plain  it  was  not  there;  so  he  proceeded 
to  unload  another  pocket  which  was  filled  with 
a  similar  variety  of  articles.  In  the  course  of 
this  process,  he  came  upon  the  lost  knife. 

"  I've  found  it,"  he  cried  out,  and  proceeded 
to  re-fill  his  pocket. 

"  Stop,''  said  his  father,  "  go  to  the  corn- 
house  and  get  a  corn-basket." 

Charles  went  for  the  basket,  wondering  what 
his  father  wanted  with  it,  but  asking  no  ques- 
tions. He  was  accustomed  to  obey  his  father 
without  questionings  or  gainsayings.  He 
brought  the  basket  and  set  it  down. 

rt  There  now,  unload  all  your  pockets  into 
the  basket,  if  it  will  hold  them." 

"  I  guess  it  will  pretty  nearly  hold  them," 
said  Charles,  proceeding  to  deposite  one  thing 
after  another  in  the  basket,  till  his  pockets 
were  empty. 

"  There,"  said  his  father,  "  dont  you  feel 
lighter  now  ?" 

"  I  think  I  do  some,  sir." 

"  Well,  keep  lighter  then,  and  not  make 
yourself  a  walking  curiosity  shop.  You  have 
a  basket  to  keep  your  things  in.' 

"  I'm  glad  1  haven't  lost  my  knife." 


164    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"I  am  afraid  you  lost  something  far  more 
valuable." 

"When,  sir?" 

"This  morning." 

"  This  morning,  sir.  Have  I  lost  any  thing 
this  morning,  sir  f" 

"  I  am  afraid  you  have.  Indeed,  I  know 
you  have." 

"What  is  it  sir?" 

"  Try  and  see  if  you  can't  find  out,  yourself." 

Charles  could  think  of  nothing  that  he  had 
lost  that  morning.  He  concluded  his  father 
must  mean  time,  and  yet  he  had  been  quite  busy 
all  the  morning. 

I  will  tell  you  some  things  which  happened 
that  morning,  and  perhaps  you  will  under- 
stand what  was  the  loss  to  which  Mr.  Neal  al- 
luded. Two  boys  were  passing  on  their  way 
to  the  village,  and  fell  into  some  dispute  which 
ended  in  their  coming  to  blows  just  in  front  of 
Mr.  NeaPs  house.  He  saw  them,  and  called  to 
them  to  desist  unless  they  both  wished  to  test 
the  strength  of  his  arm.  They  slopped  ;  one  of 
them  went  on,  and  the  other  sat  down  on  a 
large  stone  by  the  wayside,  and  wept.  Mr. 
Neal  went  out  to  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  was 
hurt,  and  he  said  he  was  not. 

"Is  he  hurt?"  said  Charles,  as  his  father 
came  in. 

"  He  says  he  is  not." 

"  WThat  is  he  crying  for  then,  if  he  isn't 
hurt?" 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     165 

« 

"  Perhaps  he  feels  bad  because  he  gave  way 
to  his  passion  so  far  as  to  come  to  blows  with 
his  companion.  Perhaps  you  had  better  go  and 
talk  with  him  about  it." 

"  1  don't  like  to  talk  with  boys  who  fight." 
Mr.  Neal  was  called  away  at  that  moment, 
and  said  no  more  to  his  son  about  the  matter, 
till  evening.  He  then  had  it  in  his  thoughts 
when  he  said,  "  I  am  afraid  you  have  lost  some- 
thing far  more  valuable."  What  was  it?  It 
was  an  opportunity  of  doing  good.  To  loose  a 
valuable  knife  is  a  misfortune,  but  to  loose  an 
opportunity  of  doing  good  is  a  far  greater  one. 
If  Charles  had  gone  and  talked  kindly  to  the  boy, 
he  might  have  exerted  a  strong  influence  for 
good  over  his  mind.  Charles  should  have  been 
willing  to  talk  with  a  boy  who  fought,  provid- 
ed there  was  an  opportunity  of  doing  him  good. 
Whatever  you  may  lose,  never  lose  an  opportu- 
nity of  doing  good. 


NEVER  ASSOCIATE  WITH  BAD  CHILDREN. 
A  good  little  boy  once  said  he  would  not  play 
any  more  with  one  of  his  little  friends,  because 
he  used  bad  words.  Every  child  should  be  as 
conscientious  as  this  little  boy  was.  It  is  very 
wicked  to  associate  with  bad  children,  for  they 
will  teach  you  to  do  wrong,  and  to  become  as 
bad  and  as  profane  as  themselves  are.  You 
will  be  very  apt  to  learn  their  evil  practices. 


166    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

which  will  be  hard  for  you  to  forsake.  But 
even  if  the  bad  examples  of  other  children 
should  not  produce  unfavorable  effects  upon 
your  mind,  yet  you  should  shun  them ;  for  if 
you  are  found  with  wicked  children,  good  peo- 
ple will  think  you  are  as  bad  as  them,  or  else 
you  would  not  love  to  be  in  their  company.  Bad 
companions  will  lead  you  into  trouble,  and  leave 
you  to  get  out  of  it  the  best  way  you  can.  Re- 
member the  story  about  poor  Tray  in  the  fable, 
and  from  it  learn  instruction. 


THE  LITTLE  BUSY  BEES. 

A  kind  hearted  little  friend,  living  in  the 
country,  said  to  a  minister  one  day,  "  I  am  do- 
ing all  I  can  for  the  Missionary  Society.  I  am 
employing  a  great  many  collectors  for  it.  I 
suppose  I  employ  more  in  that  good  work  than 
any  body  else." 

"  Indeed  said  the  visitor ;  I  should  like  to 
know  how  that  is." 

"  Come  with  me  and  I'll  show  you,"  she  re- 
plied ;  and  forthwith  she  took  her  friend  into 
the  garden,  and  there,  amidst  honey  suckles, 
roses,  larkspurs,  and  other  fragrant  flowers,  she 
pointed  out  several  bee-hives.  "  There,"  said 
she,  "  all  that  honey  I  give  to  the  Missionary 
Society,  so  that  all  the  bees  employed  in  col- 
lecting it  I  consider  as  my  collectors  for  the 
Missionary  Society." 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     167 


FREELY  GIVE. 

"  A  penny,  if  you  please,  brother  Frank," 
said  little  Emily,  coming  into  the  parlor  on 
Monday  morning,  and  holding  up  the  basket  in 
which  she  was  accustomed,  every  week,  to  put 
the  money  that  her  elder  sister  collected  for  the 
Bible  Society;  "a  penny,  if  you  please,  broth- 
er Frank." 

Frank  was  very  busy  writing,  and  when  he 
heard  what  Emily  had  to  say,  his  pen  went 
faster  than  before.  "  Why  really,"  said  he 
speaking  as  if  he  were  in  a  great  haste,  "  I 
have  been  thinking  I  cannot  afford  to  be  a  sub- 
scriber any  longer.  You  had  better  tell  Mary 
to  take  my  name  out  of  her  book." 

"  0,  no,  Frank,"  exclaimed  his  sister,  re- 
proachfully, "  you  surely  cannot  mean  that  I 
should  tell  her  that!  Not  afford  a  penny  a 
week  !  when  we  know  that  only  last  Christmas 
papa  increased  your  allowance!" 

"  Yes,"  interrupted  he ;  "  but  that  wras  be- 
cause my  expenses  were  so  much  increased  at 
my  new  school.  You  girls  have  no  idea  of  the 
number  of  things  I  want,  and  how  quickly  my 
money  goes.  Throe  shillings,  I  gave  on  Satur- 
day for  this  beautiful  penknife  ;  three  shillings, 
I  assure  you;  but,  then,  I  could  not  do  without 
one :  and  see  how  neatly  I  am  writing  this  Lat- 
in exercise,  it  mends  my  pen  so  well.     The 


168    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

next  thing  I  must  buy  is  a  silver  pencil  case,  for 
I  am  continually  obliged  to  borrow  Edward 
Harding's,  and  1  am  resolved  to  have  one  of  my 
own.  That  will  cost  twice  as  much  as  the  pen- 
knife, I  expect ;  so  you  may  suppose  I  have  no 
money  to  give  away." 

"  But  think  of  the  poor  heathen,"  pleaded 
Emily,  with  earnestness ;  "  think  how  sadly 
they  want  the  Bible,  to  teach  them  the  way  to 
heaven,  and  to  turn  them  from  worshipping 
their  idols.  Do  spare  them  a  penny,  dear 
Frank." 

"  Now,  don't  tease  me,  there's  a  good  little 
girl,"  said  he,  again  bending  over  his  book  ; 
"  I  am  very  busy  this  morning — you  know  the 
holydays  will  soon  be  at  an  end,  and  I  have  so 
much  to  do." 

Emily  felt  that  the  case  was  hopeless,  and 
sorrowfully  turned  away.  Just  then  her  sister 
Mary  came  in,  ready  for  their  usual  walk  •  and 
as  she  immediately  asked  what  caused  the  evi- 
dent trouble  of  her  companion,  Frank's  unex- 
pected declaration  was  made  known.  While 
Emily  was  unburdening  her  heart  of  its  sor- 
rows, he  still  went  on  writing  his  exercise, 
somewhat  ashamed,  as  Mary  could  perceive,  yet 
showing  by  his  manner  that  he  had  quite  made 
up  his  mind,  and  was  prepared  for  all  that  she 
might  say.  Observing  this,  his  sister  did  not 
attempt,  by  argument,  to  change  his  determi- 
nation ,  but  she  went  up  to  him,  and  laying  her 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     169 

hand  affectionately  upon  his  shoulder,  "I  do 
not  wish  to  dictate  to  you,  dear  Frank,"  said 
she,  "  concerning  the  manner  in  which  any 
part  of  your  money  should  be  spent.  I  would 
gladly  continue  to  receive  your  free  contribu- 
tion; nevertheless,  if,  when  you  have  duly  con- 
sidered what  is  the  object  and  purpose  of  the 
Bible  Society,  you  can  feel  satisfied  to  withdraw 
your  aid,  1  shall  have  nothing  more  to  urge.  I 
make  only  one  request,  which  is,  that  you  will 
put  by  your  writing,  and  go  with  us  this  fine 
morning  to  the  village.  Accompany  us  on  our 
pleasant  errand,  and  I  am  ready  to  promise  that 
if,  when  we  return,  you  still  wish  your  name  to 
be  erased  from  my  list,  I  will  not  tease  you  by 
a  single  remonstrance  from  this  day  forth." 

Frank  thought  this  would  be  an  easy  way  of 
freeing  himself  from  all  future  importunities, 
and  accordingly,  having  stipulated  that  Emily 
should  also  become  a  party  in  the  agreement, 
lie  ran  for  his  hat,  and  was  ready  in  a  few  min- 
utes. They  set  out  together,  Emily  carrying 
the  little  basket,  running  on  before,  while  Mary 
and  Frank  walked  side  by  side,  perhaps  rather 
more  gravely  than  was  usual,  for  the  kind  sis- 
ter felt  grieved  and  anxious,  and  there  was 
something  in  her  brother's  heart  which  told  him 
he  had  done  wrong. 

They  called  at  several  humble  cottages,  at 
some  of  which  there  were  children  subscribing 
■a  penny  a  week,  to  procure  a  Testament,  or  a 
15 


170    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

father  and  mother  who  put  a  trifle  every  Mon- 
day toward  the  purchase  of  a  Bible,  printed  in 
a  clear,  large  type,  which  might  serve  them  in 
old  age.  And  there  were  many,  even  in  these 
poor  and  lowly  dwellings,  who  spared  from  the 
earnings  of  their  labor  a  weekly  contribution  to 
assist  in  sending  to  distant  lands,  those  Scrip- 
tures which  are  able  to  make  men  "  wise  unto 
salvation;"  and  Frank  observed  that  the  little 
offering  was  readily  brought  forward,  with  a 
cheerful  smile,  as  though  it  were  a  privilege  to 
give.  His  conscience  reproached  him,  yet  still 
his  resolution  was  unaltered;  and  it  was  with 
much  satisfaction  that  he  heard  Emily's  whis- 
per, "  This  is  the  last,"  as  they  entered  a  poor 
dwelling,  the  meanest  and  most  comfortless 
they  had  seen.  It  consisted  of  one  forlorn 
looking  room,  furnished  with  three  broken 
chairs,  an  old  table,  a  few  wooden  shelves,  and 
a  bed,  on  which  lay  an  old  man,  evidently  suf- 
fering from  severe  illness,  and  fast  sinking  to 
the  grave.  His  wife  was  seated  beside  a  mis- 
erable fire,  preparing  matches  for  sale;  and 
everything  wore  such  an  aspect  of  poverty  that 
Frank  immediately  concluded  that  his  sister  had 
only  called  for  the  purpose  of  relieving  their 
w7ants,  especially  as  he  saw,  on  looking  round, 
that  they  already  possessed  a  Bible,  the  poor 
man's  best  and  truest  source  of  comfort,  if  he 
will  only  seek  for  comfort  there. 

Great  then,  was  Frank's  surprise,  when,  as 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     171 

Mary  approached  the  bed,  and  in  a  few  kind 
words  expressed  her  regret  on  finding  the  old  man 
so  much  worse,  he  saw  him  extend  his  tremb- 
ling and  withered  hand,  to  drop  into  Emily's  lit- 
tle basket  a  penny,  his  weekly  gift.  An  impa- 
tient exclamation  started  to  his  lips;  but  Mary 
gently  checked  him,  and  addressing  the  poor 
man  in  her  own  simple  and  quiet  way,  she  ex- 
plained to  him  that  the  contribution  was  not 
asked,  nor  even  desired,  from  persons  circum- 
stanced as  he  was",  and  urged  him  to  take  back 
the  money  which  in  his  present  state,  needing 
so  many  comforts,  he  might  be  unable  to  spare. 
In  vain,  however,  she  offered  to  return  the  pen- 
ny ;  the  poor  man  seemed  so  much  grieved  by 
the  proposal,  that  she  thought  it  kinder  to  com- 
ply with  his  wish,  although  she  pitied  his  suf- 
ferings as  sincerely  as  her  brother,  and  was  not 
less  ready  to  relieve  them. 

But  Frank  was  of  a  different  opinion,  and 
when  he  saw  the  penny  again  added  to  Emily's 
store,  his  patience  quite  forsook  him.  "  Indeed, 
sister,"  said  he,  hastily,  "you  ought  not  to  take 
anything  from  this  poor  man ;  he  claims  our 
help  instead.  It  is  wrong ;  it  is  cruel ;  do  not, 
pray,  be  so  unjust." 

Mary  did  not  answer  ;  for  the  sick  man  gave 
her  no  time.  He  raised  his  head,  and  pointing 
to  the  Bible,  "  That  book,  young  gentlemen," 
said  he,  "  has  brought  me  from  darkness  to 
light ;  it  has  taught  me  the  way  to  Christ,  and 


172    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

the  way  to  heaven.  I  was  a  guilty,  hardened 
sinner;  I  hated  all  good  things;  I  broke  the 
Sabbath  ;  I  took  God's  name  in  vain  ;  I  feared 
neither  death  nor  judgment ;  I  was  far  on  the 
road  to  hell.  Two  years  ago,  I  bought  that 
Bible,  not  because  I  wanted  it,  or  cared  for  it, 
but  because  this  kind  young  lady  came  to  ask 
me,  and  I  knew  not  how  to  refuse.  It  was  a 
blessed  day  for  me,  a  day  for  which  I  hope  to 
praise  God  through  all  eternity,  when  first  I 
opened  that  precious  book  and  read  the  glad 
tidings  of  salvation.  Yes,  it  taught  me  that, 
sinner  as  1  had  been,  there  was  mercy  through 
my  Saviour's  blood,  mercy  even  for  me ;  and 
now  I  wish  that  all  should  have  the  Bible,  that 
all  should  seek  through  that  dear  Saviour,  for 
the  pardon  of  their  sins.  It  is  little  I  can  do  to 
show  my  gratitude  for  all  the  Bible  has  done 
for  me  ;  but  as  long  as  I  live  it  will  be  my  joy 
that  I  am  permitted  to  help  in  sending  the  gos- 
pel to  teach  poor,  guilty,  and  miserable  souls 
how  they  may  be  forgiven." 

For  some  minutes  after  this  there  was  a  deep 
silence,  and  Frank  turned  away  his  face  from 
Mary's  eyes,  feeling  a  sense  of  shame  as  he 
contrasted  his  own  narrow  selfishness  with  the 
humble,  thankful  spirit  of  the  Christian,  who 
gave  from  his  scanty  pittance  what  he  denied 
from  his  abundance.  It  appeared,  from  the 
conversation  which  followed  between  Mary  and 
these  poor  people,  that  the  sick  man,  though 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     173 

infirm  and  ailing  for  some  time  previously,  had 
only  lately  been  confined  to  his  bed ;  and  Frank 
was  glad  to  hear  his  sister  say  that  his  case 
should  be  attended  to,  and  all  possible  relief  af- 
forded. Some  further  remarks  ensued,  which 
showed  the  sufferer's  happy  state  of  mind,  and 
gave  proof  that  God  is  "  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons," but  often  bestows  the  consolations  of  his 
grace  upon  those  whom  the  world  would  scorn. 
They  then  left  the  cottage,  the  poor  man  bless- 
ing them  as  they  departed,  and  praying  that  the 
Saviour  would  keep  them  beneath  his  care. 
Frank  was  much  affected  by  all  he  had  heard 
and  seen  in  the  poor  man's  dwelling,  which 
seemed  no  longer  cheerless,  since  God  was  sure- 
ly there;  and  they  passed  through  the  village, 
and  entered  the  green  shady  lane  before  he 
found  courage  to  ask  his  sister  for  some  partic- 
ulars respecting  the  former  history  of  the  poor 
man  who  had  excited  such  interest  in  his  mind. 


VISIT  TO  THE  ROBIN'S  NEST. 

As  soon  as  Jane  had  done  up  her  work,  she 
went  to  her  robin's  nest.  She  found  that  the 
young  robins  had  grown  very  much  since  she 
had  last  seen  them.  They  now  filled  the  nest 
more  than  full  She  put  out  her  hand  to  smooth 
them,  and  one  of  them  hopped  out  of  the  nest, 
and  flew  to  a  short  distance.  Jane  ran  and 
15* 


174    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

caught  him,  and  put  him  back  in  the  nest,  and 
them  the  two  others  flew  out.  She  caught  one, 
but  the  other  flew  so  far  that  she  lost  sight  of 
him.  She  held  the  one  she  had  caught  for 
some  time,  in  hopes  that  he  would  get  over  his 
fright;  but  as  soon  as  she  put  him  in  the  nest, 
he  flew  away,  and  was  followed  by  the  re- 
maining one,  so  that  the  nest  was  now  empty. 

Jane  was  now  in  great  trouble.  She  was 
afraid  that  they  would  get  lost  and  die,  and  that 
she  should  be  the  cause  of  their  death.  She 
came  home  weeping,  and  told  her  mother  all 
her  troubles. 

"The  old  birds  will  take  care  of  them,  my 
dear." 

"  Will  they  make  them  go  back  to  the  nestT? 

"  They  will  make  them  go  back  if  they  wish 
to  have  them.  If  not,  they  will  take  care  of 
them.  They  make  them  leave  their  nest  as 
soon  as  they  are  able  to  fly  a  little,  that  they 
may  use  their  wings.  If  you  had  not  scared 
them  out,  the  old  ones  would  have  made  them 
go  out  very  soon.  Perhaps  you  have  saved 
them  some  trouble." 

"  Why  do  they  wrish  to  have  them  leave  the 
nest  before  they  can  fly  away  off  V9 

"They  never  would  be  able  to  fly,  in  that 
case.  If  the  old  birds  wTere  to  do  so,  they  would 
be  as  foolish  as  the  man  who  resolved  that  he 
"would  never  go  into  the  water  till  he  had  learn- 
ed to  swim.     The  young  ones  have  to  learn  to 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     175 

fly,  just  as  you  had  to  learn  to  walk.  They 
gain  strength  and  skill  by  every  trial;  very 
soon  they  will  be  able  to  fly  as  well  as  the  old 
birds." 

"  But  what  if  something  should  catch  them 
before  they  are  able  to  fly  so?" 

"  You  would  be  sorry,  but  I  don't  see  that 
you  could  help  it." 

"  I  wish  robins  had  been  made  so  that  they 
could  defend  themselves. " 

"  I  suppose  you  could  make  them  better  than 
the  Lord  has  seen  fit  to." 

"No,  ma'am,!  didn't  mean  that — only — I 
did'nt  think.  I  suppose  I  need  not  feel  uneasy, 
for  the  Lord  will  take  care  of  them  better  than 
I  could." 

"  My  daughter,  say  so  in  your  heart  in  re- 
gard to  all  things.  When  you  have  done  your 
duty,  leave  the  event  with  God,  and  be  con- 
tent. 

Jane  sat  down  to  assist  her  mother  in  some 
plain  sewing,  and  they  kept  silent  for  a  long 
time.  At  length  Jane  broke  silence.  "  Moth- 
er, I  have  been  thinking,  that  I  don't  trust  the 
Lord  only  when  I  can't  help  it,  and  that  is  not 
right." 

I  don't  apprehend  your  meaning. 

"  Well,  if  I  didn't  mind  you  only  when  I 
couldn't  help  it,  what  would  you  think  of  me?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  idea  you  have  in  your 
,head,"  said  her  mother,  smiling. 

"  Well,    when  I  am  anxious  and  troubled 


176    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

about  anything,  as  I  was  about  the  birds,  I 
worry  myself,  and  try  to  do  something,  till  I 
find  I  can't,  and  then  I  cast  my  care  on  the 
Lord.  I  ought  to  cast  my  care  on  the  Lord 
first,  and  then  do  all  I  can.  Is  not  that  the 
way?" 

"  It  is  certainly  the  way  we  ought  to  do.  I 
am  glad  to  see  you  get  clear  ideas  of  duty. 
But  to  know  our  duty  is  one  thing ;  to  perform 
it  is  another." 

"  I  know  that,  mother." 

"  Remember,  the  more  you  know  of  duty, 
the  greater  your  obligation  to  do  it,  and  the 
greater  your  need  of  the  grace  of  God." 


THE  LESSON  AT  HOP-SCOTCH. 

The  school-master  at  Alton  used  to  say  to  his' 
boys,  "  My  lads,  you  ought  always  to  be  ready 
to  teach  one  another,  and  to  learn  of  one  an- 
other.    That  is  the  way  to  become  wise." 

"  But,  Mr.  Truman;"  said  Ned  Banks,  who 
was  a  sprightly  little  fellow,  the  son  of  a  ferry- 
man of  White  Bank,  "  wTe  have  enough  of 
teaching  and  learning  at  school.  When  we 
shut  up  books,  1  am  for  play  ;  is  not  that  right 
sir?" 

"  Right  enough,"  said  the  master ;  "  but  don't 
you  know  that  plays  may  be  learned  as  wTell  as 
work  or  lessons'?  How  did  you  learn  to  row  a 
boat,  Ned?" 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     177 

"  My  brother  Bill  taught  me." 

"  Very  well.  And  how  did  George  Frame 
learn  to  make  a  kite?" 

"  I  taught  him  myself,"  said  Ned. 

"  So  you  perceive,"  said  Mr.  Truman,  "  there 
is  some  teaching  in  matters  of  sport.  But,  be- 
sides this,  while  you  are  at  your  games,  and  af- 
ter they  are  done,  you  may  be  learning  some- 
thing." 

"  What,  sir,"  ssked  George  Frame,  "  must 
we  take  our  books  along  to  the  playground?" 

"  Not  at  all.  I  said  nothing  about  books. 
Much  may  be  learned  without  books.  But  if 
you  wish  to  know  what  I  mean,  do  what  I  am 
going  to  tell  vou.  The  next  time  you  play  a 
game  of  any  sort,  remember  this  rule — Learn 
something  or  teach  something." 

That  is  an  odd  rule,  thought  George  and  Ned ; 
and  they  were  immediately  on  the  lookout  for 
a  chance  to  put  it  in  practice.  It  was  not  long 
before  they  found  an  opportunity.  For  when 
school  was  out,  they  went  to  the  play-ground 
to  take  a  little  amusement  at  the  play  called 
Hop-Scotch,  which  I  dare  say,  is  well  under- 
stood by  most  of  the  boys  who  will  read  this  pa- 
per. Ned  laid  off  his  coat,  and  George  placed 
his  dinner  basket  on  the  bench  under  the  old 
birch  tree.  It  was  a  tine,  smooth  piece  of  hard 
ground,  with  a  low  wall  between  them  and  the 
turnpike  road.  While  they  were  merrily  en- 
gaged in  their  hopping  exercise,  a  large  char- 
coal wagon  drove  slowly  along,  and  a  little  fel- 


178     SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

low,  with  a  loose  cap  on,  and  his  face  very 
much  blackened  with  coal  dust,  got  down 
from  the  wagon,  and  jumping  over  the  stone 
wall,  stood  with  his  hands  behind  him,  looking 
at  the  marks  on  the  ground,  and  seeming  to 
wonder  what  Ned  meant  by  kicking  about  a 
piece  of  earthen  ware  so  industriously. 

"  Now,"  said  Ned  as  he  gave  his  last  hop 
and  kick,  "  I  must  teach  this  boy  the  game,  for 
he  looks  as  if  he  never  saw  it  before." 

"I  never  did." 

"  Then  I  must  teach  you,"  replied  Ned.  And 
so  he  did,  and  in  a  short  time  the  charcoal  boy 
did  it  as  well  us  they. 

"  So  you  can  say,  when  you  go  back  to  the 
Pines,"  said  George,  "that  you  have  learned 
something  that  you  did  not  know  before." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  boy,  "  but  I  wish  I  could 
learn  something  that  would  be  of  more  use  to 
me." 

"  Very  well,"  said  George,  "  What  would 
you  like  to  learn?     Can  you  read?" 

"Not  I,  nor  my  father  either,  nor  anybody 
in  our  house.  I  wish  I  could.  But  it  must  be 
harder  than  Hop-Scotch." 

"  Rather  harder,"  said  George,  "But  not  so 
hard  as  you  think  after  all.  If  you  once  begin, 
you  will  soon  go  on  finely." 

"Let  us  begin,"  said  the  charcoal  boy,  and 
his  eyes  glistened  with  joy. 

The  father  of  the  boy  hearing  this,  said  he 
would  drive  on  a  few  rods  and  give  his  horses 


SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN.     179 

some  feed.  So  the  three  boys  mounted  on  the 
top  of  the  wall,  the  charcoal  boy  in  the  middle, 
and  George  pulled  out  his  spelling-book,  and 
gave  him  his  first  lesson  in  the  alphabet.  The 
little  boy  was  sprightly,  and  made  wonderful 
progress,  so  that  he  knew  half  the  letters  per- 
fectly before  they  got  down. 

"  What  shall  I  pay  you?"  asked  the  boy 
very  innocently. 

George  and  Ned  laughed  at  this,  and  one  of 
them  said,  "  0  never  mind  the  pay,  we  will 
take  it  out  in  another  way.  It  is  your  turn  to 
teach  us  something  now." 

"  You  are  making  fun  of  me  now,"  he  re- 
plied.    "  What  can  I  teach  you?" 

"  You  must  know  something,"  said  Ned, 
"  let  us  hear  what  it  is." 

"Let  me  think,"  said  the  boy.  "I  know 
how  to  drive  horses,  and  to  take  care  of  them 
in  the  stable.  I  know  how  to  tend  a  kiln,  but 
you  don't  want  to  learn  that.  I  can  pick  cran- 
berries, and  gather  the  long  moss  from  the 
swamp  pines,  to  stuff  cushions  with.  I  can 
shoot  a  little,  and  fish,  and  catch  crabs." 

"  O,  stop,"  said  Ned,  smiling,  "  you  know 
more  than  we  wish  to  learn  just  now." 

"  Ned,"  said  George,  "  suppose  we  ask  him 
about  the  place  he  comes  from.  That  will  be 
worth  hearing." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Ned  ',  "  how  far  have  you 


comes 


v> 


180    SELECT  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  Twenty  three  miles  from  the  Pine  Swamp." 

"  How  far  do  you  live  from  the  seal" 
..  "Eleven  miles." 

"  Then  you  have  often  seen  it." 

"  Seen  it,"  said  the  boy,  "  I  go  fishing  with 
my  father  and  uncles  every  week,  and  some- 
times I  go  out  a  little  in  a  pilot  boat." 

This  raised  the  curiosity  of  the  school  boys 
very  much.  Most  boys  like  to  hear  about  the 
ocean,  and  so  they  sat  down  under  the  trees, 
asking  every  sort  of  question  about  the  surf,  and 
sea-shells,  and  sharks,  and  porpoises ;  more, 
indeed,  than  I  could  write  down  in  twenty 
pages. 

At  last,  the  wagoner  having  baited,  came 
back,  and  the  little  stranger  got  up  to  go  away. 
"  Stop  a  minute,"  said  George,  as  he  felt  in  his 
basket,"  here  is  a  New  Testament — did  you 
ever  see  one?" 

"I  have  seen  them  in  the  preacher's  hands, 
said  the  boy,  "  my  mother  says  she  would  give 
a  great  deal  to  hear  reading  out  of  it." 

t:  So  she  shall,"  said  George,  "that  is,  if  you 
will  only  learn  to  read,  which  you  can  do  in  a 
few  weeks.  Take  this  book,  and  ask  the  neigh- 
bors to  teach  you,  and  when  I  see  you  again  I 
will  have  another  book  for  you." 

The  little  charcoal  boy  went  away  much 
pleased  with  his  gift,  and  George  and  Ned  were 
delighted  with  the  experiment  of  teaching  and 
learning. 


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